SEQUEL Unto the End, Into the Beginning
by EgyptianAngel
Summary: Unto the End, Into the Beginning, the SEQUEL to the popular A Winter's Kiss! What if your worst nightmare had really been that...a dream? Now Hermione must protect her son from an evil force, as soon as she figures out what it is! MAJOR plot twists!
1. The Man Within Those Walls

A/N: Okay, this is the first chapter in the sequel to "A Winter's Kiss". I know a lot of you are heartbroken about Draco having fallen from the hand of Lucius, but some of you are excited about the kiss that Harry and Hermione shared at the end of graduation. I ask all fans to give the sequel a chance; it will be confusing until the second or third chapter, so just give it a chance.

**Unto the End, Into the Beginning**

**Chapter One: The Man Within Those Walls**

There is a man, they say, that sits within those haunting walls, the ones full of voices that would drive a sane man crazy. Yet there is one man who is still sane, or as sane as he ever was, with one intention in his corrupt life within his cell. He mutters four words in a murderous tone, as loud as they will allow. He says it in all tongues, so that every wizard within will know his intent. Many have fallen before his wand, but there is one he wishes to kill with a passion that is known even to the Dementors that guard his cell. For two years he has sat in wait, strong enough to resist the Dementors.

You see, he has a strong mind, one taught to resist all temptations. This man was once a Death Eater, second in command, just a step away in power from the Lord who calls himself Voldemort. He failed his Master, and he was severely punished for it. Abandoned by his master to the ministry, he was sent to Azkaban within an hour of his trial. He remembered like it was yesterday,

"Lucius Malfoy, you have been brought before this council on several charges. You are accused of the bribery, possession of illegal artifacts and dark magic objects, altering Ministry documents, blackmail, the use of Unforgivable curses on muggles, muggleborn witches and wizards alike and finally, the use of the killing curse on your son, Draco Malfoy. Do you have any words to defend yourself before this council makes it final decision, Mister Malfoy?" The Minister of Magic asked, his eyes burning into him down in the large pit where the prisoner was held during their trial.

The other eleven council members, all ministry officials were starring at him as well, some even holding their breath, in anticipation of what he might say.

Lucius smiled, he loved having the audience's attention. "I am appalled by these charges, as my name had been cleared many years ago…."

"That doesn't mean anything, Lucius! You were a death eater then, and you're a death eater now!" Shouted a hooded wizard from the crowd.

"You've been loyal to the Dark Lord since the beginning, you're a vicious murder!" yelled another.

"Silence!" ordered the Minister as he rapped his gavel.

"The audience is poisoning the mind of this council, I demand a fair trial!" Lucius screamed.

"The only thing that is poisoning our mind is having to listen to a man that killed his own son! Give us your plea now, Mister Malfoy!"

"I did what was necessary, Draco had become a lunatic! I only stopped him from wreaking havoc on our world!"

Hermione rose from the crowd, holding her now very large stomach, and shouted,

"You're a LIAR! You killed him after you tortured him! He didn't even have a wand to defend himself with, you deserve to die Lucius Malfoy! I hate you! I hate you! I'm going to make you pay!" She lunged toward him, but Harry pulled her back.

The crowd was in uproar, half booing, and the other half cheering. The Minister rapped his gavel several times to quiet the crowd, which did little to calm them.

He raised his wand to his throat and bellowed, "If the crowd will not be silent for Mister Malfoy's sentence, you will all be removed!"

The room fell silent, everyone's gaze fixed on the Minister.

"Lucius Malfoy, you are to be given the Dementor's Kiss! You will remain in Azkaban until it is time for such! This session is adjourned!"

Half a dozen Aurors immediately rushed to escort Lucius from the room is shackles. As he passed Hermione and Harry, he could see Harry's smug look. Lucius couldn't wait for the day when he would personally be able to draw the last bit of life from Potter's body. Of course, he was just a bonus in addition to his real target. He did his lord a favor by riding the world of his son, who was too weak and insufficient to fill his role and he waits for the day that he can kill his one last victim and return to his master to serve him well. This man within the walls of Azkaban mutters "The Heir of Malfoy".

Hermione stood at the counter, slicing the warm carrots into small, bite size pieces. She could hear the meaningless jibber of her son who was occupying himself with his spoon in his high chair.

"Alright, Remus, I'm coming, hold on sweetie." Hermione said, setting a small plate down in front of the toddler. She stroked his cheek gently, and then kissed his light brown hair, "You're mommy's little angel, Remus."

The life of her son had been a miracle, she had been visiting Draco's grave when she had gone into labor. He had been buried in the forest on Hogsmeade grounds; it was near the place where they had shared their first kiss. It was early in the morning, leaving her stranded in a forest with no one around, or so she had thought. Coincidently, the night before had been a full moon and a werewolf was still lurking within the trees. But as the sun rose higher, the werewolf transfigured into none other than Remus Lupin.

He hadn't recognized Hermione, as he hadn't seen in four years, and wasn't expecting her to be in labor. She, however, had recognized the Professor in his tattered robes immediately. He knew that she was in too painful a state to apparate, and flying her to Saint Mungo's had been out of the question, so he was forced to deliver the child himself. That's why Hermione chose to name her son after the man who helped bring him into the world, and into her awaiting arms. But two years had passed from that time, and she had only seen him two or three times, not nearly enough. She knew Harry missed having him around, but he and his Godfather finally had time to spend together. Harry had entered the most prestigious Academy in London and would soon be graduating with the proper certification to become an Auror, something he had been dreaming of becoming since fourth year.

"Hermione..." Harry called, his voice echoing within the large house that the three of them shared.

"I'm the kitchen with Remus," she said in response, her voice reaching the entrance hall where Harry hung his cloak and then kicked off his shoes.

"Hey little tyke," he said, patting his fair brown hair.

He set his briefcase down and gave Hermione a kiss, taking her into his strong arms. They had been seeing each other ever since they had shared their first kiss at graduation. It had been the end of something, but the beginning of another. Harry knew that Draco would always have a place in Hermione's heart, but Harry's spot continued to grow, and he hoped that someday he would know for sure that Hermione and he would share the rest of their lives together.

"How was work?" she asked, placing a pan on the stove.

"Awful, seven raids last night. Ron and I are up to our elbows in paperwork, I hate paperwork. I'd have Seamus do it, but he's already backed up from the last raid when we sent eight Death Eaters to Azkaban."

"How's Ron handling it?" Hermione asked.

"He's swamped with paperwork as well, but we try and help him out so he can actually see his wife once in a while." Harry finished with a chuckle.

Ron had met a girl named Marie at the Academy last fall. She, like Ron, came from families that were some of the last decent pureblood wizards. The fell in love instantly and were married in the spring. Harry took a seat on one of the kitchen bar stools and looked outside onto the vast grounds that they could call their "backyard." The leaves were beginning to turn brown and there was already a small pile of fallen leaves below their large oak tree. It was September...and already a few months had past since the third anniversary of Draco's death. The first year he could hear her crying into her pillow through the night. The second year they lit a candle together for Draco, but this year...there hadn't even been a whisper of his name. No one wanted to bring it up.

"I'm so glad Ron found somebody," Hermione said, putting her arms around him, bringing him out of his thoughts.

"Me too," he said, "and I'm glad I've found someone as well," reaching for Hermione's lips, catching her in a kiss that was quickly growing in intensity. Remus giggled loudly, and the meat in the pan began to sizzle, forcing Hermione to break from Harry's lips and tend to the pan.

"What?!" Cornelius Fudge asked the face that the flames in his fireplace were illuminating.

"Lucius Malfoy has escaped, Sir. The Dementors reported it right before I called you. I don't know how they could have let it happen. According to the report the guards were changing shifts, and when the new guards took their station Mr. Malfoy was gone...and there was a large hole in the wall," reported the man, trying to remain calm.

"How is the search coming?" Fudge asked, not expecting a very delightful answer.

"Well Sir, they followed the tunnel and it led into Hogsmeade...they can't be too far behind him they suspect."

"They suspect? I think we should re-think the Dementors keeping guard at Azkaban! We can't have these escapes...especially by murderers...Mark; take them off of this case. I want the Aurors on this one, get me the best. Get me Potter."

Hermione glanced at the clock: 4 a.m., she groaned quietly and again attempted to fall asleep, but it was useless. She looked over at Remus, who was sound asleep in his crib, and smiled. She had this odd feeling that things were going to go well...every time her life took a turn for the better it was followed by a turn for the worse. She hoped her son wasn't in danger. Her son...she knew how badly Harry wished it could be his son as well, but Remus wasn't...he was Dra…no, that was too painful to think about. But that wouldn't stop Harry from raising him. As if he knew she was thinking about him, Harry pulled her closer to him and tightened his grip.

"Can't sleep?" he asked groggily.

"No," she replied, trying to sound like she just wasn't tired.

"What's wrong Hermione?"

"Nothing," she sad, faking a smile, "I'm fine."

"I wish that were the truth," he said, planting butterfly kisses down her neck.

She lay back, enjoying how he always seemed to kiss away her worries. His kisses led him back up to her lips and he rolled over so that he was on top of her. His hands dropped to her thighs, causing her breathing to quicken. Moans escaped her lips as their nightclothes were quickly discarded. She wrapped her legs around his waist and he slipped into her comfortably. He wasted no time in moving his hips to meet with hers, and the friction they created was incredible and everything seemed perfect to Hermione as they made love for the rest of the night. The cloaked mans eye's never left the ground as he exited the busy streets of Hogsmeade and set out onto an abandoned road to take the long journey to Godric's Hollow, a small town where nothing horrible ever happened. That is, not since the deaths of James and Lily Potter. Lucius Malfoy got whatever he wanted...and by tomorrow night he wanted the heir of Malfoy dead, along with the woman who carried it in her womb for nine months, and the pathetic excuse for a wizard she had fallen for. His balled his hands into fists to try and clam the rising hate inside of him. His body language said hate and his eyes said murder, and they echoed in the night sky.

_"Fear, hate, revenge, murder" _was carried by the winds, no louder then the gentle swirling of leaves as Lucius passed each man, woman and child and in exactly 23 hours they would no longer be a whisper, but reality. Hermione continued to sleep, entangled in the sheets, even when the bright morning sun rose and shone into the large window of the bedroom they all shared. A familiar smell brought Hermione out of her sleep. She sat up against the stack of pillows and rubbed her eyes.

"Good Morning," Harry said, offering her a cup of coffee just the way she liked it.

"Good Morning," she replied, taking the warm cup into both of her hands. Harry sat down beside her, holding coffee of his own, and handed Hermione that day's edition of The Daily Prophet. Hermione allowed her eyes another moment to adjust to the light before she turned her attention to the paper, and the headline jumped out at her:

_**'MURDERER ESCAPES FROM AZKABAN, DEMENTORS STUMBLED.'**_

_The Minister of Magic, Cornelius Fudge, announced early this morning in a special news conference that indeed a murderer has escaped from Azkaban. __He also noted that this was the first escape since Sirius Black and that everything was being done to locate an__d__ obtain the fugitive. __The Minister's assistant, Mark Henson, says that they are stumbled as to how the prisoner escaped without the Dementors instantly being aware of it. He also assured us that the Aurors and Dementors are on the trail of this murderer. The prisoner was on the highest form of guard and is very powerful, which explains how he was able to perform something of this magnitude. Suspect is considered VERY DANGEROUS and it is assumed that he is armed._

_Henson also says that he will keep the wizarding public up to date as more information becomes available. This reporter believes that the rumor of adding this prisoner to the watch list of the muggles is true. While the Ministry will not confirm or deny this, this reporter and many others believe that the fugitive is none other than Lucius Malfoy, who had been charged with the murder of his son, Draco Malfoy, just three years earlier and was the only prisoner on highest watch. When asked to comment, Arthur Weasley, the Head of the Department of Muggle __Relations, had this to say "I know that this had literally turned the wizarding world upside down overnight and this is be handled with the utmost caution. The Ministry is being so strict that they haven't told anyone the prisoner's name. Therefore, I cannot confirm or deny the likeliness of it being Lucius Malfoy who has escaped. This reporter finds it likely that the Ministry is just trying to do damage control and they aren't telling us everything that they know, including the identity of the escapee._

Hermione's eyes remained glued to the newspaper, as the ink began to run once the tears hit the freshly printed paper. Harry turned to Hermione to ask her something and realized that she was crying, "Hermione, what's wrong?"

Hermione couldn't find it in her to reply and handed Harry the slightly smudged (but still legible) article. Within just a few moments Harry had finished reading the article, and the parchment fell from his free hand, the other was still holding his coffee. He set the coffee on the night stand and brought a sobbing Hermione into his arms.

"Its only rumor that Lucius Malfoy escaped," he said in attempt to comfort her, picking up the paper, he noticed that the article had been written by Rita Skeeter, a pesky reporter that had made his life miserable all of his fourth year at Hogwarts.

"Look, Rita Skeeter wrote this article, you know how she can fabricate things..." but nothing he said seemed to provide any comfort for Hermione, but that didn't stop him from making numerous attempts, "I'm sure it's not Lucius...they have him under such high guard...a different part of Azkaban and Rita Skeeter will say anything for a good story..."

Hermione turned to Harry just as he stopped and smiled, "look how sweet you are," she said, lifting a hand to his face, "I...just get afraid when I hear about things like this.."

"I know," he said, getting up from the bed and walking over to the crib to pick up a sleepy Remus in his strong arms. He returned to the bed and they held Remus together.

"I'll protect us Hermione, no matter what happens...I'm not going to let anyone hurt our family. No one is going to take Remus or me away from you."

Hermione smiled and rested her head on Harry's shoulder. Remus stepped onto and stood up on Harry's legs, attempting to wrap his tiny arms around Harry's neck, "daddy," he said sleepily. Harry put his arms under his legs and held Remus against his stomach and Hermione thought she could see a tear fall from Harry's eyes as she stroked Remus' light brown hair softly.

"Not much longer now," he whispered to himself, almost out of breath.

The only thing that kept him going was knowing that in a few hours he would have the chance to do what he had been praying for. His robes were torn and his face was bloody from were branches had scratched him. His knees were getting a little weaker, and he needed to stop to rest more than he did when he was young and a fresh death eater. None of that mattered now though, he had become wiser with age and was now more experienced with his wand. By the end of the day he would change the Wizarding world forever...he would kill the heir of Malfoy.


	2. Shattered Glass

A/N: Okay, so here we are at chapter two and some of you probably want to kill me while others couldn't be happier that Harry and Hermione are an item. So chapter one was rushed, I'll try to make future chapters (including this one) flow better. At the end of the last chapter Lucius was drawing nearer to the Potter-Granger household, but what will happen when he arrives? Read and find out, please R/R!

**Unto the End, Into the Beginning**

**Chapter Two: Shattered Glass**

Hermione lay on Harry's chest; both of them were fast asleep and clutching Remus in their arms tightly. They slept in a pool of moonlight; the air was still, mimicking a perfect night. Or so one would think. There was something in the very making of the Earth, the restlessness of its creatures that hinted that not all was right with the world. Exhausted from worry, she had fallen asleep in Harry's arms. Harry had done his best to stay alert but sleep had soon consumed him and he drifted into an uneasy sleep, the threat that put them all in danger haunting his dreams... A loud shatter awoke the three of them instantly. Hermione cradled Remus in his arms and kissed his head gently in attempt to calm him. There was another loud noise and Hermione placed a hand over Remus' mouth to muffle his cries.

Harry grabbed his wand off the dresser and rushed downstairs, his heart racing. A robber had attempted to break into their home last year, but as soon as Harry shot one disarming spell from his wand they had fled, it had probably been a teenager with no intention of hurting them. Harry wished now more than ever that this was the same thing happening tonight, but his conscious told him that this was someone different, someone with the intention of hurting or even killing them. He pulled himself together when he reached the bottom of the stairs and ran into the kitchen. He looked out of each window which allowed him sight of most of his estate. His breathing began to quicken as he searched for the intruder. _Was he already in the house? Was he leaving Hermione and Remus unprotected by being down here? Did Hermione have her wand?_ Questions and fear flooded his heart and he impatiently looked around. He shouted in anger, clutching his wand in his hand. Not being able to protect his family was driving him crazy.

Suddenly, he noticed something that he hadn't before. The window in the back door had been shattered and they were pieces of glass scattered all over the floor. He looked up from the glass and starred into the eyes of a crazed murderer and Lucius Malfoy starred back at him. It was silent for a moment, both of them watching the other, ready to pounce if they even moved too quickly. All the memories and hate for Lucius Malfoy were running fresh through his mind; he was the one who had caused Hermione all that pain. Even if it had been Draco, Lucius had left a seventeen year old mother and her unborn child without the support of the father. Harry ran towards him, the glass piercing his bare feet. Lucius fled from Harry's grasp and ran toward another entrance. Harry found it odd that Lucius would run from him, surely he would want to kill him, unless something was more important to him. Hermione. Remus. Suddenly it hit Harry were Lucius was heading...the patio. There was a staircase that led directly into the master bedroom... to Hermione and Remus. Harry sprinted outside, leaving a trail of blood on the ground that he walked over.

Lucius made no sound as he seemed to float over the grass, his movements swift, like a cat. His eyes looked up to the bedroom and he could see a silhouette of a woman holding a child.

_"If that's what they call it," _Lucius thought to himself.

He lifted a foot to begin his journey up the staircase when he felt himself being slammed to the ground. Harry got up and waited for Lucius to rise, only to kick him when he attempted to rise. All the anger and resentment for the dark side that had been brewing inside of him was now being released onto Lucius.

Harry went to kick him again and felt a hand gripping him by the ankle, the next thing he knew he himself was on the ground. Lucius wasted no time in returning to the staircase. Harry rose quickly when he caught sight of this, clutching his bruised head.

He raised his wand and shouted, "Crucio!!"

Lucius fell face first onto the cement stairs. Harry ran over to him and clutched his robes, pulling him up. When he did so, Lucius swung his fist, sending Harry back down to the cement and off of the stairs, but Harry would die saving them if he had too.

Suddenly, a thought hit him almost as powerfully as Lucius' punch had. This must have been what his dad went through when Voldemort had attacked his parents. He must have felt the ache in his heart like Harry was feeling now, desperate to make sure that the woman he loved survived the night. He wasn't going to let Hermione down; he wouldn't be taken like his parents. With new motivation his ran up the stairs, and grabbed Lucius, who was just inches away from opening the sliding glass door. Harry could see Hermione through the curtain, he had to save her. He had to kill Lucius Malfoy. Grabbing the front of his robes Harry threw him against the wall.

"What do you think you're doing here Lucius?" Harry asked through gritted teeth, already knowing the answer.

"To kill that mudblood and her bastard child. Although, killing you would be a bonus. Did you really think that when they dragged me to Azkaban that was the end of me?" Lucius questioned in a murderous tone. Harry's grip had tightened when Lucius had spat the world "mudblood" and he was now struggling within Harry's grasp.

"That may not have been the end of you then, but this is the end of you now. It's your turn to die, Lucius."

Harry released Lucius and each of them immediately drew their wands. Before Harry could mutter those unforgivable words he never thought he would say, Lucius grabbed him and swung him forward. Harry stumbled and fell through the glass door and onto the bedroom floor.

Hermione screamed as Harry came crashing through the door, glassing scattering every which way.

Lucius loomed over him, shouting, "Look at the famous Harry Potter now! Reduced to a quivering child! I shall have pleasure in killing each and every one of you."

Hermione clutched Remus to her chest and began to walk backwards slowly. Harry scooted backwards as Lucius approached him. His leg felt numb and looking down at it he saw a large, sharp piece of glass sticking out of it. He looked to Hermione, who he ordered to leave, but she was frozen to her spot. He couldn't move, but he had to hold Lucius off somehow, at least long enough for them to escape. He pulled the large piece of glass out of his own leg, cringed in pain, and stabbed it into Lucius' leg. This distracted him for a few seconds, long enough for him to shout a warning to Hermione.

"Hermione get out of here!"

"No Harry, I love you!"

"I love you too...now go!"

"AVADA KEDRAVA!" Lucius bellowed, a flash of green illuminating the dark room.

"NO!" Hermione screamed, bursting out into sobs. She could barely mourn for Harry before she had to run, seeing the murderous look on Lucius' face. Remus was letting out loud cries, making it impossible for them to hide. She had no other choice, she would have to take her wand and run, run until they were safe from Lucius. She opened the door and the realization hit her that even if she did make it out, they wouldn't be with Harry. Her second love had fallen at the hand of Lucius. Tears formed in her eyes and she swallowed hard, she had a new hate for Lucius Malfoy. She didn't go any further outside of the door, but turned back and sought out Lucius so she could seek her revenge.

"Looking for someone, Hermione?" Lucius asked, stepping out of the shadows that the moon had cast upon her living room.

Hermione grasped her wand with one hand and supported Remus with the other. His arms were wrapped tightly around her neck and his face was buried into her chest, soaking her t-shirt with his frightened sobs. She raised it so that it was eye level with Lucius.

"Avada Kedrava," she said through gritted teeth, her wand hand shaking with fear.

Lucius smiled and uttered, "Crucio Reflecta," before Hermione had even finished her jinx.

The green light bounced off of Lucius' chest and hit Remus, causing him to fly out of Hermione's arms and onto the hard ground. A pool of blood began to form beneath his small body from were the fall had fractured his fragile skull.

"Nooo!!" Hermione shouted. She became dizzy, a painful ringing filling her ears, and she had the sensation that she was falling, falling down a hole that would go on for all eternity...

Hermione awoke in a cold sweat. Her breathing was rapid and she rose from her bed, looking to her surroundings. She was in her bedroom...but how was that possible? She had been in the living room when her spell backfired and killed her son, she had killed her own child and Harry had died because of her. Harry. She ran to the other side of the bed, expecting to see Harry's body...but saw nothing. Perhaps Lucius had removed it? Although she couldn't see why he would...another thought struck her and she turned towards the sliding glass door that Harry had fallen through, which currently showed no sign of anyone falling through it. She searched, but she couldn't find one tiny piece of glass. She cried out in frustration, looking for some small clue as to what had happened after she passed out. Where had Lucius gone? Where were the bodies of her family? The thought cut her heart deep...she was all alone. The only men she had ever loved...killed by a death eater, by Lucius Malfoy.

She ran down their long staircase and tired easily from it, although she didn't know why. Her head felt light and her body heavy. She went into the kitchen and sat down, trying to recall the events of the previous night. What had happened after Lucius killed my son? She thought to herself. These nagging questions were interrupting her mourning, and she couldn't stand it. She tried to calm her breathing, but tears began to run down her cheeks and she was breathing heavily. She felt like she had nothing left to live for. Now Draco, Harry and Remus were gone, never to return to her again. Sure, there were always her friends, but they could only offer so much comfort. After being the cause of three deaths she didn't feel like she deserved to live.

Or perhaps this was her punishment: life when she deserved and longed for death. Hermione sat there alone for what seemed like hours, weeping, feeling pathetic for having self-pity. She felt selfish for thinking of how the deaths had affected her. What about them? Remus was so young...he hadn't had a chance to experience the world; he hadn't learned what life really meant. And Harry, her sweet Harry hadn't even had a chance to live all of his dreams.

Exhausted and thirsty she rose from her seat, which she found difficult because of a cramp in her lower back, and went to the kitchen for something to drink. Her throat was so dry she could barely swallow without it hurting. The thing that still occupied her mind was that there was no evidence of the horrible events that hadn't taken place here last night. Perhaps the Ministry had showed up and taken care of everything, and she was too tired to remember any of it. That had to be it, but something told her that it wasn't.

Maybe...maybe Harry and Remus hadn't died at all. Maybe Harry was still at work and Remus was at his day care. But why wasn't she at work? What time of day was it? She hadn't even glanced at a clock since she had woken up, she didn't even know what day it was.

"Harry?" she called out. She waited for a reply and then called his name again. She decided to go back upstairs again and walked back into the living room and passed the double mirrored doors that opened up to reveal the pantry. She could have sworn that she had noticed something odd about her appearance out of the corner of her eye, but she was so exhausted her mind could have been playing tricks on her...but still, she had to know. She walked slowly towards the mirrors, fearing what she would see, although she didn't know why. She stood before the mirror in pure shock.

She was wearing grey stretch pants and a matching tank top...her hair was in disarray (her typical morning hairstyle), she had large, purple bags under her eyes and she was eight months pregnant. It just wasn't possible that this had all been a dream. Having Remus and living with Harry in this house couldn't have been a dream. It had all been so real, she had felt pain (especially the pain of giving birth to Remus in Hogsmeade), happiness, all of the emotions she experience during her waking hours. Was this a dream? She thought to herself. Perhaps she was dreaming about the night after their deaths, whatever was going on, she was completely confused. Hermione heard a noise and her heart was racing when she turned toward the door, where the handle started to jiggle. Someone was unlocking the door and she waited in anticipation as Draco Malfoy opened the door.


	3. Awakened

A/N: This chapter contains lyrics from the song "Someday" by Nickelback. Okay, so I know its been a while since I last posted and I bet its driving you CRAZY wondering if Draco is alive or not. Is Draco being alive a dream? Does this leave Harry and Remus dead, or a dream as well? Are you sick of all these dreams? Well so is Hermione! How will she deal with it?

Read Chapter Three as she is awakened.

**Unto the End, Into the Beginning**

**Chapter Three: Awakened**

The door handle jiggled, someone was trying to unlock the door. Hermione clenched her fists, holding her breath. It had always been a nervous habit and she waited in anticipation as Draco Malfoy opened the door. Hermione quickly released the air and breathed in more, she realized her mouth was dry.

"Hermione?" he asked with concern, "is everything alright?"

"You're dead!" she shouted.

"What did I do?" he said, taking her outburst as a threat.

"No, I mean you're dead! You're really dead! I saw you die, I watched your funeral...I visited your grave..."

"Honey, what are you talking about?" Draco questioned.

"This has to be a dream. Some crazy dream, but god why can't it be real? No! Why can't I move on? Why won't you let me forget you?"

"Hermione, this isn't a dream and why would you want to get over me?

""Okay, if you're not dead then why did I see Lucius Malfoy kill you...and where have you been for the past bloody three years?"

"Hermione, I think you should come sit down," Draco urged, placing his hands on her shoulders and forcing her to sit down. He bent down onto his knees and crouched in front of her, his hands resting on the arms of the chair.

"I want you to listen to me, okay?"

"Okay," Hermione said nervously.

"Lucius did try to kill me but he didn't succeed. I prevented the spell from hitting either of us. As soon as I could tell he was going to perform the curse again, I did it before he could. Don't you remember? We were worried that I would be sent to Azkaban, but it was classified as an act of self defense. As for the past three years, you know very well where I've been, Hogwarts. We graduated from Hogwarts almost three months ago. Your pregnancy has been giving you a lot of strange dreams lately but none of them ever had a hold on you as long as this. You must be getting close; you and the baby are having unsettled emotions."

Hermione took a deep breath as she thought about Draco's words. She looked down at her large stomach. Having graduated Hogwarts only a few months ago would explain why she was still pregnant. But her dream had seemed real. She had felt all the emotions she experienced during her waking hours. Giving birth to Remus, the pain of losing Harry and Remus, those lingering memories of Draco's death. But Draco was alive, their love was alive. That meant...that she hadn't fallen in love with Harry, she hadn't named her child Remus.

"Why don't I get you something to make you feel better..."

"No, I'm fine Draco," the realization truly hitting her for the first time, "I haven't lost you."

With Draco's help the two of them rose from their seats and Hermione threw her arms around him. She held his face in her hands and pressed her lips to his. It seemed like she hadn't felt his touch for an eternity. She couldn't describe how all of this made her feel. Excited, confused, desperate and in unexpected extreme pain. She pulled back from Draco, clutching her stomach. She screamed in pain, not being able to tolerate the pain her unborn child was causing her.

"Sit back down, I can help," Draco offered, trying to comfort her.

Draco put his hands on her stomach and looked up at Hermione. Hermione shook her head to let him know that she was still in pain; she had no idea what he was trying to do. Despite Hermione's doubtful expression, Draco didn't remove his hands. A small glow began to emerge from his hands, it was dark at first, slowly becoming brighter and brighter. It reminded Hermione of the time her and Draco had been in the chamber, he had used this technique to heal her back, even though it had really been him who needed to be healed. But in the chamber she had seen visions from his past...and now she wasn't seeing anything. Before she could dwell on it for any longer the light stopped abruptly and Hermione no longer felt any pain.

"How did you do that?" Hermione asked in amazement, remembering that Draco never really explained this power that he seemed to have to her.

"Well, I've been reading some books. It's the least I can do to help with the pain of the last month," Draco said, taking her into his arms.

"Reading books? You mean they've written books about this?"

"A few, yes. Let's just say it's similar to an advanced version of Occlumency."

Hermione remembered hearing about Occulumency, their former Potions Master had tried to teach it to Harry in their fifth year, but neither teacher nor student had been very devoted to the lessons.

"I thought that it was a technique to block your memories, not share them."

"People seeing my memories is just something that happens. That's why I only use it when it's necessary, but that's not important right now. Are you feeling better?"

"More than you know. I love you so much," Hermione said, tightening her grip around his waist.

"Not more than I love you," Draco argued.

"How about we call it even?" Hermione suggested.

"Good idea and do you know what else a good idea is?"

"What's that?"

"You getting some rest."

"No, I'm fine...really..."

"You're always stubborn, aren't you?"

"Of course," she said triumphantly, giving him a small grin.

"I'm serious Hermione, I'm worried about the two of you," he said, stroking her stomach lightly, "and I won't have anything endangering you. Not again."

"Okay, you win."

"Good," Draco replied, lightly kissing her lips.

Hermione awoke in her bed hours later. For the second time today, she woke up not knowing what day or even what time it was. She turned her head to look at the clock; it was seven-thirty in the evening. Hermione looked to her left, where Draco was fast asleep. She smiled, stroking his cheek gently. She couldn't believe that she had ever dreamed something so horrible. Then everything came flooding back to her in a sudden whirlwind of visions. Draco killing Lucius. Hermione's real graduation, in which she and Draco had attended together. Telling her parents she was pregnant and letting them meet Draco. Draco surprising her with the beautiful house. Losing touch with Harry and Ron. Draco training to be an Auror. The joys of her pregnancy. She pulled her hand away from Draco's cheek and noticed a diamond engagement ring on her ring finger. She pulled it closer to examine it, how could she ever forget the night Draco had proposed to her... It was Draco and Hermione's first night in the house that they could call their own, which had been just six weeks ago...Draco and Hermione sat by the fire, drinking sparkling cider to celebrate the purchase of their new house.

"Hermione?" Draco asked, setting his glass down in fear of dropping it. His hands were shaking.

"What is it?" She asked, not able to keep from smiling at seeing how nervous he was.

"I know that things haven't been the easiest for us...and maybe you wish things would have gone differently...but I couldn't be happier. You and our unborn child are no longer in danger. I love you so much Hermione." Draco said, pulling Hermione into a heated kiss. Hermione pulled away after a few moments.

"Are you trying to tell me something Draco?"

"No," he lied quickly, "yes."

"Which is it?" Hermione asked.

"Yes. I have something to tell you. I know we're doing things a bit backwards...but I can't help it. There is only one another thing that would make my life complete, and that's if you would be my wife."

"Oh, Draco..."

"I'd give you everything you ever wanted Hermione, you know that."

"Draco..."

"We'd be a family, Hermione, and I promise I'd take care of you and our baby..."

"Draco," Hermione repeated, pressing a finger to his lips, "You don't need to convince me. I've been hoping that you would ask me for be your wife for a while now."

"I'm sorry I didn't ask sooner, I just wasn't sure if it was the right time."

"It was the perfect time, Draco."

Draco kissed Hermione again; holding her in his strong arms...Draco opened his eyes wide and yawned

."Hey, how long have you been up?" he asked.

"Not long," she replied, smiling.

He took her hand into his and kissed it softly."Are you feeling any better?" he asked.

"Yes, I am. Thank you Draco,"

"There's nothing to thank me for. I just hate seeing you so distressed. Last week you had a dream that you gave birth to our child and it died. It took me an hour to convince you that it was a dream."

"I don't remember that." Hermione said, confused.

"You won't remember your other dream after a few days either. Its normal, though, Hermione, don't worry. The mother usually starts having fears about the delivery when you get closer to the birth. Maybe we'll go see my mother when you're feeling better, she did carry a Malfoy after all. And look how I turned out!" Draco finished his statement with a grin.

"And what makes you think I'd want my son to turn out anything like you?" Hermione questioned, struggling to keep a straight face.

"You know I think I like it better when you're in pain, then you don't have the energy to be sarcastic."

No sooner than he had finished talking did he cover his head, guarding himself from the pillow that went flying toward him.

Hermione and Draco apparated just outside the gates of the Malfoy Manor. Draco uttered a spell under his breath and the gates obediently swung open. Hermione had never seen the manner before and she had never imagined it to be this eerie. The building seemed much too large to be a house. Hermione thought of how lonely Narcissa must be, living in loneliness on these vast grounds, but perhaps being alone was a better fate than being married to Lucius Malfoy. Draco took her hand and they walked up the long pathway that led to the large door that had been etched from the finest gold. He hit the large knocker against the door several times and within moments a man in a white outfit and a black cape answered the door. His expression was stern and Hermione was reminded of Lucius, which explained why such a man had been hired to greet guests.

"Ah, Mr. Malfoy, Miss Granger, the Mistress of the house has been expecting you. She is currently occupying herself out in the courtyard."

"Thank you, Adam. Nothing more will be required of you," Draco replied monotonously.

The man bowed slightly to Draco, and then to Hermione, and made his way into the kitchen and out of their sight. Hermione wasn't sure if she liked the idea that Draco had led such an extravagant lifestyle, even if he hadn't had the proper upbringing. He still had been given the best there was, would he want this for their family? Hermione couldn't stand the thought of her and her family being served by other wizards and witches or, Merlin forbid it, house elves. She was also very nervous about meeting Narcissa. After all, she had only seen her once at the Quidditch World Cup, and that was only for a few moments. Hermione could remember that she was beautiful, but she didn't speak much. _Was she like Lucius? Would Narcissa be bitter toward Hermione? _After all, she was the reason Lucius and Draco had fought that night in the chamber. _Would she be accepting of her unborn grandchild?_

There were so many things that Hermione was dying to ask, but not sure how to. By this time Hermione and Draco had reached the courtyard, which looked out onto the vast acres of land that now belonged to Narcissa. They stepped onto a large terrace that had stone steps leading down to the large, beautiful garden, full of many different flowers and plants. Draco approached his mother, who had been looking straight ahead, although Hermione wasn't convinced that she was really looking at the garden. It seemed that she was in deep thought about something.

"Mother?" he asked in a soft tone, resting a hand on her shoulder.

"Oh Draco, I'm so glad you've come," she said, rising to wrap her son in a large hug.

"Mother, this is Hermione. This is the girl I'm going to make my wife."

Narcissa stared at Hermione just long enough to start to make her feel awkward, but then she approached Hermione and gave her a tight hug as well.

"Welcome to the family Hermione," Narcissa said in a caring, yet slightly distant tone.

Narcissa's eyes dropped to Hermione's large stomach and her lips formed a smile. "My first grandchild!" she squealed with delight, directing Hermione to a chair for her to sit down in.

By the several empty classes sitting on the table where the three of them sat, it was obvious that quite a bit of time had passed, over an hour in fact. They talked about how Draco and Hermione fell in love, their plans for the wedding, whether or not they had thought about names for the baby, Draco's training and remedies for Hermione's pain. Hermione noticed that whenever a subject might be leading toward Lucius, Narcissa would change its direction immediately.

"Well, I'm sure that you two will want to be going. But before you do I want you two to know that I've been thinking long and hard about this. Now that...well, now that I'm not living here with anyone else besides the staff, I'm giving you two the manor. Now I don't want any objection, I don't need this place all to myself and you two have a child on the way."

"Mother, you can't give us the manor!" Draco protested.

"I can and I will!" Narcissa said in a motherly tone.

"But where will you live?" Hermione asked.

"Well, didn't you two just get a small house not that long ago? Perhaps we'll just trade."

"Mother, I don't think that's such a good idea. I mean, you can get all the help you need here and..."

"Draco, I would be offended if you declined my wedding present. Trust me; I think it's the best thing for me. Besides, you know you can apparate in at anytime if you just have to check on me."

"Mother, I don't like this idea at all."

"And just why not? Besides, Draco, I raised you not to decline gifts, it's highly insulting."

"Alright, you win. Thank you mother." Draco said in a defeated tone, giving her a warm hug.

"Thank you for having us Narcissa, it was an honor to finally meet you." Hermione said.

"Yes, dear, it was lovely meeting you as well. Don't be shy to drop in, especially when that bundle of joy comes along, alright?" Narcissa asked in an excited, yet still some what distracted tone.

"I will. Draco and I will let you know as soon as we do."

"Goodbye then," Narcissa said, turning back out toward the garden.

Hermione watched her there in silence until she felt a slight tug on her arm. Draco gave her a quizzical look, which Hermione decided shouldn't be explained here, and they left the Malfoy Manor.

"I don't know Draco, there just wasn't something right about the way your mother was acting," Hermione protested as they walked into their house.

"Hermione, I told you. My father had her under the Imperius Curse and even after it was broken because of his death it still had some lasting effects. She's gotten a lot better since his death though. That's why I've been holding off on letting you meet her, I wanted her to become more independent first," he explained as he hung both of their cloaks on the coat rack.

Hermione sat on the couch, with some difficulty, and sighed heavily. Draco sat next to her, placing an arm around her.

"I just want your mother to be okay. I also want this pregnancy to be over with already!!! It's been over 8 months!!"

"I know honey, it's going to be soon, I promise."

"You promise?" Hermione asked, relaxing in his arms.

"I promise" Draco repeated, kissing her cheek.Hermione returned Draco's kiss on the cheek, telling him that she loved him.

"I love you too," he said, pulling her into a deep kiss. Their kiss grew in intensity, capturing and re-capturing each other's lips. His kisses drifted to her neck and then back up to her lips, which his tongue pushed past to meet with hers. Just then, Draco felt a small amount of pressure on the back of his neck. He pulled away from Hermione and saw that a letter had been dropped on him by a messenger barn owl, which apparently had nipped his neck. Draco quickly untied the twine and unrolled the parchment.

_Dear Mister Draco Malfoy -_

_This letter is to inform you that Level 2 of your training will begin promptly at two o' clock this afternoon. Please note that your absence will mean you being dropped from the Ministry's training program. _

_Sincerely,_

_Mikayla Winthrope  
__Secretary to the Minister of Magic  
__Mister Cornelius Fudge_

Draco sighed and by the expression on Hermione's face, Draco knew that Hermione knew what a letter from the Ministry meant.

"Honey, I am so sorry. I...I can't miss this session or they'll drop me from the program. Today I'm beginning the second level."

"Draco, it's okay, I understand. When you went into this program we both agreed that we would do our best to just work around your schedule. I knew that you'd be busy Draco. It's okay."

"No, it's not okay. I should be here with you, especially now that you're so close to delivering our child." Draco said, contemplating what to do.

"Look, Draco, I'm going be okay. Besides, I'm overdue for a call to my Mother and that usually takes hours. Anyway, if something were to happen I'll just owl you, okay?" Hermione said with a smile.

"Is this supposed to be a trap?" Draco asked.

"Just go! I'll be fine."

"I love you so much Hermione."

"I love you too. Be careful!"

"You too," he said, giving her a goodbye kiss before grabbing his cloak, a briefcase from inside their small hall closet, and leaving quickly.

Hermione picked up the phone and dialed her mother's number. She felt a little weird using a telephone, it being one of the very few muggle inventions that she still used.

"Hello?" Hermione heard Mrs. Granger's voice from the other end.

"Hi mom," replied Hermione.

"Hermione! I'm so glad you called! I was just thinking about you. Haven't had that baby yet, have you?"

"No, mom. I promised that when I went into labor I'd call you, and I'm going to."

"Okay, I know. Just making sure, dear."

"So how are you and Dad?"

"Oh, we're managing. Busy as ever at work, we can't wait until we retire, that way we'll be able to spend more time with our grandchildren."

"I'm just having one, Mom!"

"Well, I know...but by the time we retire I'm sure you and Draco will have had one or two more."

"Well, I don't know about that."

"Oh, Hermione. I almost forgot to tell you. You know I was looking through the paper the other day and there are some very nice homes going for a fairly decent price in the same town that we live in!"

"Mom, Draco and I have a place here. Why would I be interested in a place in the muggle world?" Hermione questioned, wondering what her mother was up to now.

"Well, I just thought that you might move back here so that you'd be closer to us."

"Mom, Draco and I have a place here. I told you that."

"Well don't you think it's about time you moved back here?"

"Mom, my place is in the Wizarding World! It has been since I came to Hogwarts when I was only eleven years old, you know that."

"Hermione, you're place is in the Muggle world where you were born. Or have you forgotten?"

"Mom, I haven't forgotten where I came from, but I'm making my life here now and if you can't accept that then..."

"Then what...you're going to shut me out of your life?

""Mom! I didn't say that, you know it's easy for Draco and me to visit you."

"Well, you know how I feel about this. When you come to your senses then give me another call." Her mother shouted in an angry tone into the telephone.

"Mom, listen to me..." Hermione began, but stopped as soon as she was greeted with a large clicking noise and then a dial tone.

"I can't believe her! My own mother hung up on me!" Hermione rose from the couch and walked in the kitchen.

She poured herself a class of water, but didn't drink it. She continued to pace angrily through the kitchen and into the living room. For the first time in a while her eyes drifted to the fireplace, where pictures of her, Ron and Harry filled her gaze. She hadn't allowed herself to look at them for a while now because of the immense guilt that was growing inside of her. She slowly drudged up the stairs and into her room. Hermione went into the closet and removed several items of clothing from the top of an old trunk. Her fingers skimmed across the letters H.G. that stood next to a Hogwarts crest. She opened the trunk to find several large books. Only these weren't reading books, they were scrapbooks filled with pages of her friends, the castle that she had called home for seven years and of all the adventures she had been led on. Hermione grabbed one of the large books and sat on her bed. Opening the book, she was immediately met with three smiling faces. She was with her best friends, Harry and Ron. Above the picture were the words "My First Year" in curly writing. Looking at the picture now, she couldn't believe how much all of them had changed. The three of them looked so innocent, unaffected by the evils of the world, they hadn't yet tasted betrayal. Their smiles suggested that they didn't have a care in the world. Hermione couldn't remember being that happy. It was before they knew that someone was going to try to steal the Sorcerer's Stone, a creation that produced the elixir of life.

-  
_How the hell we wind up like this?  
__Why weren't we able__to see the signs that we missed?  
__try and turn the tables  
__I wish you'd unclench your fists  
__and unpack your suitcase  
__lately there's been too much of this_-

Hermione turned the pages, being greeted with brighter smiles every page. As she got into the pictures of their second and third year their smiles became a little worn. It was then that she realized that maybe they were trying to pretend like everything was alright. She remembered that it hadn't all been smiles. They had to study for exams, deal with Professors and even solve dangerous mysterious. All of this and more had been the cause for all of the fights the three of them had amongst themselves.

-_but don't think its too late__nothings wrong,  
__just as long as __you know that someday I will  
__someday, somehow,  
__gonna make it alright but not right now  
__I know you're wondering when,  
__you're the only one who knows that_-

Although, the times hadn't all been bad either. She remembered warm, lazy days on the lake their sixth year. She remembered late night parties and Quidditch celebrations. She remembered late night talks in Harry and Ron's dorm, even though she wasn't supposed to be there. Hermione missed everything, the good and the bad. But when would she get her friends back?

-_Well I'd hoped that since we're here anyway  
__that we could end up saying __things  
we've always needed to say  
__so we could end up staying_-

She knew that things had been awkward between them their seventh year. But she was so sure that they had worked everything out, especially after everything that had happened. They had been through so much together, only to end up like this. Only to drift apart...

-_now the story's played out like this  
__just like a paperback novel  
__lets re-write an ending that fits  
__instead of a Hollywood horror_-

They should have the perfect lives. Instead, they all pretend they do. If the media ever found out what had become of the "Dream Team" from Hogwarts, they'd be knocking down their doors to get exclusive interviews.

-_nothings wrong, just as long as you know  
__that someday I will  
__someday, somehow, __gonna make it alright  
but not right now  
__I know you're wondering when,  
__you're the only one who knows that__-_

They had promised that they wouldn't loose touch with each other, and now look at them. They hadn't called or owled each other since graduation. They got together for a short while on Harry's birthday, but that had been extremely awkward. Harry and Ron hadn't even come to the baby shower that some friends of hers had thrown her. Somehow, she felt like she had failed Harry and Ron.

-_How the hell'd we wind up like this?  
__Why weren't we able  
__to see the signs that we missed?  
__try and turn the tables_-

Hermione starred down at the three beaming teenagers waving madly at her. It had been the summer before their seventh year. They were at the burrow in Ron's backyard. The whole Weasley family, Harry and Hermione had been there. All of the guys had played Quidditch while Ginny and her watched. The shot was taken right after Harry and Ron had lifted Hermione into the air using the ends of their brooms.

-_now the story's played out like this  
__just like a paperback novel  
__lets re-write an ending that fits  
__instead of a Hollywood horror_-

Looking at them, they didn't seem like people who couldn't be in a room together without not saying a world at all or having a screaming match. You wouldn't guess that the last time all of them had been together it had ended in tears and anger.

-_nothings wrong, just as long as you know  
__that someday I will  
__someday, somehow  
__gonna make it alright but not right now  
__I know you're wondering when  
__you're the only who knows that_-

Hermione screamed in frustration and threw the book down. She couldn't go on like this anymore. She needed her friends support, now more than ever. She was trying to start a new life with Draco and their child but she wanted her new life to include her life long friends.

-_someday, somehow  
__gonna make it alright but not right now  
__I know you're wondering when  
__you're the only who knows that  
__I know you're wondering when,  
__you're the only one who knows that  
__I know you're wondering when_-

Hermione wondered how much longer it would be before they all stopped denying that they were unhappy and just try to work out their problems.


	4. Mending the Past

A/N: Hey everybody! I know you probably want to kill me for not updating this story for like three months. But if you killed me, you wouldn't get the rest of your story! So thanks for not killing me and thank you for all the encouraging reviews. I'll try to get the next chapter up sooner. I already have it outlined, if that makes any of you feel anyway.

Btw, HAPPY NEW YEAR'S EVE!!! --- That was like New Year's 2005, because for 2006 I know for a fact I was partyin' like a princess w/ THE San Juan Chapter, lol.

Can Hermione mend things up with Harry and Ron?

Will Draco make it through Auror training? Guess you'll just have to read and find out!

**Unto the End, Into the Beginning**

**Chapter Four: "Mending the Past"**

"Welcome," said Oliver Wood, "to your first day of second level training". He stood tall by the briefing board and Harry could almost picture him standing in his Quidditch Robes telling them what play to use to beat Slytherin. But Wood had come a long way from childhood worries, they all had. This time what was on the line wasn't a metal cup and house pride; it was the fate of the wizarding world.

"My name is Oliver Wood and I am your instructor for this level of your training. You pass this level and then you go onto levels 3, 4, 5 and then your final exam. You have exactly 2 weeks to pass this level, or you'll be demoted back down to level one. Now I know that sounds a bit harsh, but when you're an Auror on a raid you've got to be quick and accurate, leaving no room for mistakes." Oliver hesitated slightly before going on, perhaps dwelling on mistakes of his own.

"Well then, let's get to the game plan, shall we?" He clapped his hands and rubbed them together, something that he had always done while strategizing for the next game. "This," he said, pointing to the board that was floating in mid-air, "is a map of the underground hide-out that you'll be raiding. This is how it works; there will be 40 Aurors stationed throughout the hide out, they're acting as death eaters. If they see you they'll shoot you with a spell that would put a large red circle on the center of your robes. Anyone with a red dot will be counted as a fatality." At the word "fatality" there was a shift of chairs, a quiet restlessness of the trainees. Fear swept through them, holding them close, like a mother would her newborn.

"There are fourteen of you, so you're outnumbered, how it often is. There will be seven groups of two, all with different missions. Under no circumstance are you to leave your partners side, unless of course they are killed in the scenario. The evaluators," he pointed to a small group of wizards all dressed in green robes holding parchments and quills, "will be watching the entire thing. You need 50 points to move on to the next stage of your training. Does anyone have any questions?" Wood asked.

Silence. Wood was about to dismiss them when a hand went up.

"What if you get killed? Does that mean there is no chance of you passing?" He asked.

"That's a good question," said Wood, "there is still a chance for you to pass, even if you are hit. If you died for the cause of the mission or to spare another, you'll earn points. If you do something to help or jeopardize the mission, points will be given and taken accordingly. Now when I call off your name listen for your position.

_Potter--Weasley: second floor, secure i__t and make sure no one leaves._

_Johnson--Mirkwood: dungeons, do a lock down. There's a way to make sure no one appara__tes out, you'll figure it out._

_Walker--Sullivan: first floor, secure it and t__ake prisoners_

_Thomas--Finnigan: third__ floor, search for information_

_Longbottom--Creevey: second f__loor, you'll be doing the same_

_Abbott--Kensington: y__ou'll be the guides in and out_

_Vonburgh--Malfoy: you've got the hard job. Second floor, capture the leader of the death eaters stationed there. .._

Good Luck to all of you, and remember this; all those who fall behind, are left behind."

"Malfoy, isn't it?" a young man with brown hair asked.

"No, just call me Draco."

"Well, Draco, it looks like we got the hard job."

"Lucky us. Guess they thought we could handle it." His Partner was about to enter to the 'underground hideout' when Draco stopped him.

"What's your name? Jacob…Vonburgh. Jacob Vonburgh."

"Well Jacob, no man ever gets left behind. I won't leave you."

"It's just a scenario Draco, relax."

"That's the attitude that can get you killed. Want some advice? If you want to be an Auror Jacob, you better start acting like one. No one gets left behind."

"No one gets left behind," Jacob repeated, inspired by Draco's passionate tone.

The Aurors entered the room. Almost instantly the lights went out and the room became cold and damp, smelling like dried blood and rotting bones. An eerie voice boomed from nowhere, counting down for the scenario to begin...10...7...5...3...2...1. The lights came back on, but quickly began to flash on and off again. The team quickly found the staircase, going down to their assigned levels. Most of the group dropped off at the second floor. Most of the activity seemed to be happening there. Doors burst opened and five death eaters came charging out. They were quickly shot down; all of them now bore large red dots, which almost made them targets. However, they were supposed to be dead already.

They split up into their groups and Draco and Jacob started down the second corridor, going on a hunch. They began to kick doors down, wands at the ready. Some rooms they would find empty, others with only one death eater or perhaps even two, but never the one they were looking for. Draco and Jacob were told that the leader would bare a yellow mark on his robes. This upset Draco, death eaters would not be such easy targets in real raids. Nevertheless, he had a job to do and he was determined to finish it. Draco spotted a single door at the end of a long hallway with multiple doors on either side of it. The door alone was black in a sea of grey walls and doors and green smoke was seeping from every hole out into the hallway, as if it were seeking something it would never find.

Draco signaled for Jacob to follow him. They approached the door and he silently counted down to three, putting a finger down each time, so Jacob would be aware of his intent. When all his fingers were down, he kicked the door and it flew against a desk that was in the room. They quickly entered and a blue blast flew passed Draco and hit Jacob square in the chest, knocking him down.

"NO!" Draco screamed as a large red dot covered Jacob's robes.

He turned to face the death eater, anger in his eyes. He screamed and ran at the death eater, knocking him down. He attempted to rise, but was kicked down by Draco. In retaliation the death eater swung as Draco, who ducked. The man stumbled forward and Draco kicked him down, emitting the same blue sparks that would have ended Jacob's life, had this been real. But Draco forgot that it wasn't real and the only thing that mattered was the mission. Draco ran over to Jacob and lifted him up. He put one of Jacob's arms around his neck and pulled him along, making his way toward the stairs that would lead them to safety.

Draco was half way there when he saw a death eater and hid himself and Jacob, who was still unconscious, behind a pillar. When the death eater turned to go down the corridor on the left he made a run for it, although he was slowed by Jacob. He reached the third floor and gave a sigh of relief. But the sigh turned to shock as he realized that no less than ten death eaters guarded the door that would lead him to safety. He laid Jacob gently on the ground and readied his wand. The death eaters were closing in on him and he knocked four of them down before they completely enclosed him. He turned in circles, blocking and casting spells. Six death eaters remained. One of them began to speak and Draco already cast the counter curse. The two mists of color met each other in mid-air. Draco's was blocking the curse, but not easily. Draco forced the spell with all of his might, but another death eater stunned him from behind, causing him to fall on the cold, hard floor.

A few moments later Thomas and Finnigan came running up with the needed information, backed by their fellow Aurors who were able to take down the final six death eaters. The Aurors gathered around the unconscious Draco and Jacob, wondering what struggle they had gone through. The lights stopped flickering and returned to their original brightness.

The same voice from before could be heard throughout the whole place, "The simulation raid is over. Please return to the main floor, where you will be given your scores. All simulated fatalities will be revived momentarily."

By the time the evaluation committee arrived, all fourteen Auror-cadets were waiting in the briefing room. The men all sat down at a table where the floating board had been. They began to read off names. For each it was the same; their skills, their accomplishments, their mistakes and whether or not they passed. Finally, after what seemed like hours, the last man read off "Draco Malfoy".

Draco shifted in his seat as he awaited his evaluation. "Quick with his wand, excellent at charms and determined to finish his mission. Single-handedly took down the leader and 6 other death eaters and completed his mission. Disobeyed orders by dragging his friend along with him. Jeopardized the mission and safety of other Aurors by possibly leading them into the same trap. Would have selflessly died for the importance of the mission and cleared the path for the rest of the Aurors. For this we award Mister Malfoy a perfect 75 points, a pass."

Draco gave a sigh of relief and was congratulated by his fellow colleagues, even people he had been enemies with at Hogwarts. Even Harry, who had received a 69, approached him, but not for the reasons he thought.

"Why did you do it Draco? Why'd you jeopardize the mission?" Harry asked accusingly.

"Hey, you heard the judges. I helped the mission succeed."

"Yeah, by getting yourself killed.

"Like you would have cared Potter."

"What are you trying to prove, Draco?"

"That I don't leave anyone behind, and that I get the job done."

"Since when have you been interested in being a hero?"

"Look Potter, unlike you I'm _not_ trying to make the front page and be everyone's hero. I only care about doing what's right. Sorry, did I steal the spotlight for a moment? I'm sure you won't have any trouble getting it back...just have your scar burn or something..."

"You son of a..."

"Look Potter, I have things to do. I'll argue with you later."

"Why are you training to be an Auror? Is it so she'll trust you?"

"Oh, so this is about Hermione, isn't it? You're jealous that she chose me."

"Of course it's about her. And just so you know, I have nothing to be jealous of."

"I'm sure."

"You stole my friend away from me!" Harry half shouted.

"I didn't steal her from you, you pushed her away," Draco retorted, and left the ministry, filled with swelling anger.

By the time Draco had arrived home much of his anger had drifted from him. He came home to the front door slightly ajar and he hesitated to enter. _Why was the door unlocked? What had happened? Was Hermione alright? _Draco opened the door and called her name nervously.

"I'm in the kitchen Draco" he heard her reply.

Draco entered the kitchen to find Hermione occupied at the stove, potatoes were being sliced by a floating knife and then flew into a pan to be mashed. Carrots were also being chopped up and tossed into boiling water by an invisible person.

"Hermione...why was the door open?" Draco asked.

"What? Oh, I guess I forgot to shut it all the way after I picked some herbs from the garden. OH! The herbs..." Hermione remembered, mashing up all kinds of green herbs into tiny crushed pieces.

"Hermione, you've got to be more careful! Leaving the door open is like inviting death eaters into our house!"

Hermione left the stove top, although spoons continued to stir what was in the pots. She walked over to Draco and gently stroked his cheek.

"Draco, even if the door was locked, I don't imagine it'd be much of a problem for a death eater. And besides, I think I know how to handle myself around one or two. We can't be living in fear of tomorrow and forget to live out today."

"Hermione, I need to..." Draco began, but was soon cut off by Hermione.

"You need to relax after a hard day of training," she said, giving him a quick kiss, "dinner will be ready soon."

Draco nodded and went upstairs to change into more comfortable clothes. He stood in front of the large mirror in their room. As he undressed he checked the wounds on his body. He unwrapped the wound on his right side and cringed. The gash was getting only slightly better. Draco muttered a spell and he noticed an instant improvement. He went over to a small box and removed some of the herbs and placed them on the gash. It stung at first, but then he felt relief. It was a real pain making sure that Hermione didn't see him changing. He supposed that he should get used to it, because even if these wounds finally did heal, he was sure there would be plenty more to come. He needed to find a way out of this situation, to be free to be a husband to Hermione and an Auror to the Ministry. He sighed and went back downstairs, once again fully dressed.

Something smelt very delicious and he went into the dining room to find the candles lit and two places set. He smiled and sat down just as Hermione was bringing out the main course. Hermione reached to put steak onto Draco's plate, but Draco grabbed her hand gently.

"I can serve myself, you don't have to do everything Hermione, you're eight months pregnant, I should be pampering you," he said.

He kissed her hand and then rose from his seat, leading Hermione to hers. He pulled out the chair for her and then served her dinner. When Draco returned to his own seat, he could see a large grin on Hermione's face.

"So how was training Draco?" Hermione asked with honest interest.

"It was fine," and he was going to dismiss it with that, but Hermione wouldn't have it.

"Draco, don't be like that. I want to know how everything is going. What kinds of things do they make you do?" She asked.

Draco sighed. He couldn't deny her anything when she spoke in that sweet tone, with that caring look.

"Well, today they set it up like a raid. We were all paired off into groups of two and we had different missions."

"How did you do on your mission?"

"Well, I passed."

"What does that mean? Did you complete it?"

"Well, yes and no."

"Draco."

"Alright, okay. I sort of defied orders and got myself killed."

"What? You can DIE in training?"

"Well, you get tagged, but it supposed to mean that you've been killed in action."

"I had to defy orders. I'm telling you Hermione, that program is being run by the wrong type of people. They have an attitude that is going to lose us this war. Their motto is "anyone who falls behind gets left behind" and I wasn't going to follow that. It's like they don't even care how many Aurors they are going to lose, and then that damn Potter.."

"Harry?" Hermione questioned, alarmed.

"Look, it was nothing." Draco replied, trying to change the subject.

"Draco, what happened?

"Harry was acting like he was mad at me for jeopardizing the mission, but that wasn't really the reason. He misses you Hermione." Draco said, although not really wanting to. But he couldn't lie to Hermione because he knew that Harry meant a lot to her.

"Oh" was all that she said, but Draco knew that she wanted to talk about it.

"Maybe you should talk to him," Draco said reluctantly.

"No, he could contact me if he really wanted to," she replied, ending the conversation.

Later that night, when Draco was asleep, Hermione used Draco's owl to send a letter to Harry and Ron. She told them to meet her at The Three Broomsticks tomorrow at 3pm; if they weren't there by 3:30pm then she would take the hint and not try to contact them again. She was torn in two, half of her wanted them to come, but the other half knew that they would not.

Hermione knew that she would not be able to sleep, so she rummaged through her drawers to find her journal. When at last she found it she opened to the page that had been book marked. She found it odd that she hadn't written in her journal since April. Surely she would have written more things about her pregnancy? Brushing those thoughts aside, she flipped to the next blank page, and after some thought, wrote her entry.

_It is possible that tomorrow I will be meeting with Harry and Ron, my two best friends for seven years. Yet, I haven't spoken to them since graduation. It is likely that they hate me for starting a life with Draco, their childhood enemy. You know who he is, I've written about him several times before. I can see how it would be a little difficult for them to accept it, but he's on our side! He's attending the same academy that they are. I do hope they come so that this friendship may be mended. I need my two best friends to be part of my life, to be part of my unborn child's life. If I lose them, my memories of Hog__warts will surely slip away. _

_All the times that I was angry with them, all the times that I promised myself that I would make Harry and Ron apologize first now seem so insignificant. I couldn't bare the thought of losing them before we could have a chance to mend our friendship. No one was safe in this world anymore and what was worse is that everyone knows it. I am willing to forgive and forget. To stop dwelling in the past and live in the present, similar to what I told Draco earlier today, about not living in fear of tomorrow. It was time that I took my own advice. Tomorrow, no matter how hard it may be, I will mend the past._


	5. Preparing the Future, Forgetting the Pas...

A/N: I know, I'm sorry I haven't posted in like 6 months...I just haven't had the energy or the motivation to write lately, so this chapter probably won't be as good. Anyway, look, I know that Sirius Black died in the 5th book, but I'm in denial about it and began writing this waaay before his death, so my story will continue as planned. Besides, he only has cameos, but it's enough to give Sirius fans a little bit of him. Please R/R. I know that a lot of people have been waiting for this chapter, the birth is approaching! On a final note, a HUGE thanks needs to be given to my friend Carrie, or Care Behr as I like to call her, for her talents in developing Perseus Aitor. I must give her credit for the name, which means "To destroy good fathers" and for assistance with that rather eerie description of his. Thanks Babe! Oh, and I'm sure you'll all be seeing her input next chapter as well, when Draco and Hermione's child FINALLY makes their appearance.

**Unto the End, Into the Beginning**

**Cha****pter Five: Preparing the Future**

Hermione sat nervously at a table in Three Broomsticks. She lifted her arm to look at her watch. It was only 3:15pm, yet it seemed like she had been waiting here for hours. She drummed her fingers on the table, the sound of her French manicured fingernails making a loud tapping noise. 3:16pm. Time seemed to be going very slowly, and see could hear the second hand ticking in her head, taunting her. At 3:20pm the waitress came to see if she wanted anything. Hermione only ordered water. She looked at the clock again: 3:25pm and then she looked to the doorway, which no one had walked through since she had arrived here almost an hour ago. Hermione gave a sad sigh and then rose to leave. Just then, however, the doors opened and Harry walked through them. They exchanged shocked looks and slowly walked to each other, not quite sure what would happen when they met. When at last they finally reached each other Harry first looked at Hermione's large stomach.

"How much longer?" Harry asked.

"Any day now," Hermione replied with watery eyes.

Harry wrapped his arms around her and they held each other there in silence for quite a while. When Hermione backed away there were tears in their eyes. They sat down at the table that Hermione had been waiting at.

"Sorry I was kind of cutting it close to 3:30...I was hoping that I wasn't going to miss you, which would have been awful. Anyway, I got you this. It's why I'm late," Harry explained, handing Hermione a small silver box.

Hermione smiled and opened the box, which revealed a familiar bracelet. It was different colors of silver and pale blue of an interwoven pattern of leaves made of sterling silver that continued throughout the bracelet. Harry had given it to Hermione on her 16th birthday.

"Harry, where..?" Hermione began to ask.

"I found it in my trunk not too long ago. I don't know how I wound up with it. Look on the other side of the band," Harry instructed.

Hermione turned it over and saw that the bracelet has been inscribed. It said "Forgive me for all the times I should have been there. Love, Harry"

"Oh Harry, there's nothing to forgive..."

"Yes, there is. At graduation I promised you that I wouldn't walk away from this friendship. But that's exactly what I did, I avoided you when I should have been there as a friend. I should especially be here for you now that you're going to be a mother soon. I'm sure Draco probably told you that we're going to the same academy. Every time I saw him I was reminded of you. I thought of how you two were having a baby soon and I didn't think it was my place to pry. Well, know I'm going to make a place for me in your life whether you like it or not.

"Harry, you know that I wouldn't have it any other way. But let's not live in the past. I just want to..." Hermione stopped talking when she felt a pressure on her right shoulder and realized that it was someone's hand.

Hermione looked up to see Ron standing beside her with an unsure look on his face.

"Hey Hermione," he said as casually as possible.

"Hi Ron," she said, standing up and giving him a hug.

They both sat down and there was a moment of awkward silence. After another moment, all three of them tried to speak at once.

"You go ahead...Hermione and I have already had a chance" said Harry, looking at Ron.

"Well, I guess what I cam here to say is that I'm sorry I never really tried to communicate with you. I just kept making excuses. I was too busy working with Dad at the Ministry or I was too busy training...but the truth is that I could have made time for you and I didn't and I'm sorry."

"I'll forgive you Ron, if you forgive me," Hermione said, smiling.

"I think you've got yourself a deal Hermione. Let's drink on it!" Ron said happily, smiling. Hermione remembered that smile and it was good to see it again.

Ron signaled for the waitress and she came over to take their orders.

"What will you have dears?" the waitress asked in a cheerful voice.

"Three butter beers," said Ron.

"Two butter beers and water actually, please" Hermione corrected.

"No problem, I'll have it in a jiff."

Ron looked at Hermione with a quizzical look.

"Since when don't you like butterbeer?" he asked.

"Since it became unsettling to my stomach," Hermione said.

Ron was now very curious about Hermione's pregnancy, since he had never been around a woman who was pregnant. After all, Ron was practically a baby himself when Ginny was born.

"Is there anything else that bothers you?" he asked.

"Well, yes. I've have sort of a difficult pregnancy." Hermione admitted to them.

Ron and Harry exchanged concerned looks and instantly Hermione knew that it had been a mistake telling them that.

"I'm fine, honestly. Nothing that isn't normal. Just some bad dreams and headaches. I can't eat or drink certain things either, but that's about it." Hermione said, trying to end the subject.

"And that's normal?" Harry and Ron asked in unison.

"Well I suppose it is," Hermione said laughing. Just then, Hermione felt a sharp pain in her stomach and she attempted to muffle her cry of pain by taking a sip of water the waitress had just brought.

"Hermione, are you alright?" Harry asked.

"I'm fine, honestly." Hermione said, rolling her eyes.

"Are you having contractions or something?" Ron asked worriedly.

"No, I don't think so," said Hermione, honestly hoping that she wasn't.

Hermione set the glass down on the table, in fear that she might drop it. It was then that Harry and Ron could tell that Hermione's hand was shaking.

"Hermione?!" Harry half shouted.

They rushed to her side, trying to figure out what was wrong. Just then Draco rushed through the doors of The Three Broomsticks, gasping for breath. Wondering how he got here so fast, Harry noticed a man return to his seat just beside the door. He recognized him as the man who had been Draco's partner during yesterday's raid. He pulled his attention away from the man and back onto Hermione.

Draco was doing some sort of breathing exercises with her; his hand was on her cheek. He raised his hand to her forehead and Draco realized that she had a fever.

"I've got to get her to Saint Mungo's; she might be going into labor." Draco said.

Harry, Ron and Draco were able to get her to Saint Mungo's quickly and Medi-Wizards admitted her right away, but would not allow Draco back there with her. So the three of them waited in awkward silence for what seemed like hours. But Draco learned that they had only been waiting for 20 minutes after looking up at the clock.

"I wonder how long labors take," Ron asked no one in particular, although he was facing Draco.

"How should I know? All I know is that she has to be alright," Draco said desperately.

Harry wanted to tell him to shut up and drop the act, but decided against it. If Hermione was in there having a baby, then the least he could do was be to her, Harry swallowed hard, fiancée. After another 10 minutes a Medi-Wizard approached Draco, who rose from his seat immediately.

"Relax, Mr. Malfoy, your wife is fine. She had a false labor. Although, the baby was turned. Everything is fine now though. These things tend to happen when women are close to delivering or when they become stressed or over-worked. Has any of that occurred lately?"

"Well, she has been a little stressed lately." Draco admitted.

"Alright, well, just keep her off her feet as much as you can. We should be seeing you back here soon," the man assured Draco.

Draco waited anxiously for Hermione to come out of the hospital room that they had her in. When she came out her took her into his arms and kissed her forehead gently. Then he turned to Harry and Ron,

"I'm going to take her home now. I'll let you know how she's doing." Draco said, not looking directly at Harry or Ron, but keeping his eyes on Hermione.

"Let us know when it's happening for real, okay Hermione?" Harry asked her, ignoring Draco.

"I will," Hermione said, she managed a soft smile and waved goodbye as Draco lead her out of Saint Mungos.

"Hermione?" Draco said softly.

He wasn't sure if he should be waking her so soon, but she had been sleeping for quite a long time and she needed to eat. He helped her sit up in bed, making sure she had plenty of pillows. He placed a tray in front of her with a class of warm milk, soda crackers and chicken broth, no noodles...just how she liked it.

"You're so sweet Draco," she said, reaching to kiss his lips lightly.

"You gave me quite a scare earlier, you know," Draco said.

"I know. I'm sorry" Hermione replied.

"Don't be sorry 'Mione. I'm just glad you're alright."

"How long have I been sleeping?" Hermione asked, rubbing her eyes.

"About six hours. It's nearly eleven at night. Sorry to wake you, but you need to eat."

"I can't believe I slept that long" she said; now munching on soda crackers soaked in broth.

"I guess I should tell you this now. My mom wants us to come and visit her again tomorrow. I told her only if you were up to it." Draco said.

"Of course we'll visit her. Don't worry about me, I'm fine," Hermione replied.

"Well, of course you're alright, you have me taking care of you," he said, sitting beside her.

"That I do," she said, relaxing in his arms.

The next morning Draco and Hermione made a trip to Malfoy Manor. As soon as they walked into Narcissa's room, they knew that there was something wrong. There was a Medi-wizard standing beside her, checking her pulse. She was sweating and looked ghostly pale. Draco ran to her side, taking her small hand into his large, rough hands.

"Mom? What's wrong?" He asked worriedly.

"It's alright Draco. I'm going to leave you now." Narcissa said in a scratchy voice. Draco could tell that it was painful for her to speak.

Draco looked away from his mother and turned his attention to the Medi-wizard,"What's wrong with her? Why can't you do something?! Give her a potion or something!"

"I'm deeply sorry Mr. Malfoy, but there isn't anything to give her. Your mother is suffering from the lingering effects of the Imperius Curse that your father held over her. She became so dependent on that power over the years that she doesn't know how to survive without it. I'm very sorry, but you're going to lose her."

"NO! You have to do something," Draco demanded, looking back to his mother.

"Mother, you just need rest, that's all, you'll recover your strength, I promise you will."

"No Draco, I'm afraid I won't, and I've accepted that. Now just come here and sit with me, I want to see my boy again before I go."

Draco obeyed his mother and sat down on the bed beside her. Hermione sat down in the chair closest to the bed and placed a hand on Draco's shoulder, trying her best to comfort him.

"It's a shame I won't be able to see my grandchild. But, what can you do..." Her small voice was cut off by her horrible coughing.

Draco grabbed her glass of water from the bed side table and helped her drink from it. Hermione noticed that his hands were a little shaky. However upset he might have been, he didn't leave his mother's side until she died a few hours later.

Draco stood in front of the mirror the morning of his mother's funeral, something missing from his eyes that had been there before. Maybe it was because this was the second parent that he had lost within less than a year, or maybe it was because of that fact that he had actually cared about his mother. He wasn't sure who would show up, but there were certainly a few people's absences that he hoped for.

By the time Draco and Hermione reached the courtyard, the few guests that would be attending had already arrived with the addition of one unexpected guest: Sirius Black. Draco walked to the small row of chairs that had been set up in front of his mother's coffin. He walked up to his mother's casket, standing beside Sirius for a few moments before turning to him and saying, "So dear cousin, you've finally come to visit Mother."

"I came to pay my respects Draco, that's all. After all, she was part of the family."

"A part of the family you disowned," Draco said firmly.

"A decision I don't regret, but I really don't think this is the place for an argument over the past Draco,"

"Right, sorry. It would be rather disrespectful to fight over my mother's grave. Not that you ever showed the same respect to my father."

"Your father? Deserve respect? Forgive me Draco; I was shocked by the fact that your father, a man so passionate in his cause, would be defeated so conveniently."

"It was considerate of you to pay your respects to my mother, but I don't think that my family will be requiring your sympathy or respects."

"Actually, I'd rather like to stop by from time to time cousin. I'd be able to rest easier at night knowing that things are going well here."

Sirius didn't hesitate in leaving the grave side and finding Hermione before Draco could lose control of his temper. He searched for Hermione only for a few minutes. He was surprised to find her alone on a bench, not too far away from where he had just been.

"Hermione, I'm sorry to hear about Draco's mother."

"Sirius? What are you doing here? Are you sure that..?" Hermione rose slowly, shocked by his presence.

"Don't worry about it, I already talked with Draco. Hermione...Harry wanted me to send his best," Sirius paused for a minute and lowered his voice, "and here's a warning from me; don't be blinded by your love for him. He may have convinced you that he's different, but the Malfoy blood flows through his veins, don't forget that." And with that Sirius left her side to take his seat for the service.

Draco and Hermione stayed in Malfoy Manner that night after the funeral for his mother. Hermione was already asleep, and Draco dressed in the dark and went into the courtyard for a late night meeting that he rather not have. But after all, a tainted life was better than none at all, or at least that is what he kept telling himself.

"You're late Draco," said Perseus as he emerged from the shadows.

All heat was drained from Draco, every breath he took felt as if would be the last before his body was frozen. With his approach is the drowning of all other sounds except for the wind torn howl of the metallic ring of foot falls across a stone courtyard. His black cloak rippled in the wind behind him.

"I'm not late Perseus, I arrived precisely when I meant too," Draco replied.

"I suppose you think that's clever, don't you boy? Just remember whose running our little arrangement here, shall we? Now, before I waste anymore time in your presence, I must inform you that you father had some rather rare...artifacts in his possession that I would like brought to me."

Perseus' grey eyes hardened, he was not a man to be toyed with. Draco knew this not by his appearance or is threatening words, but by the red of his pupils, which made you feel hollow looking into them.

"I have a better idea, Perseus, why don't you just take the whole manor? That would be a lot easier than moving everything hidden within it."

"Why do you offer me the manor?" Perseus asked.

"Because you want the manor and I want galleons, it seems like a fair trade."

"You expect me to pay your for it? I hope you haven't forgotten that just must follow my orders Draco. I could simply order you to give me the manor free of charge," You could see the wrinkles in Perseus Aitor's face as he laughed menacingly, his jet black hair now messy from the wind. His hair was the only sign of his age, white had already begun to appear.

"What then, would I tell my fiancée? I decided to hand over the manor to an old family friend?" Draco said, he wasn't about to back down.

"Fine. I do suppose compensation is in order," He said, his gloved hands reaching for a piece of paper within the pocket of his cream shirt, "this is the amount of galleons that will be deducted from the total cost of whichever home you choose. I'll be in touch."

"Wait," said Draco, "this is something else I which to speak with you about. I don't think it'd be wise for us to meet at my new home, or anywhere in the open public. I don't want to be connected with you at all. From now on send owls to me at this location," said Draco, handing him a card.

Perseus nodded and turned away from Draco only to slowly fade into shadow, the same sound of his departing steps haunting Draco. He could understand why most men feared him. The farther Perseus got from him, the less Draco could remember about his intimidating features. His raspy voice still sent chills down Draco's spine, and the conversation was still clear in his mind. The appearance of this man however, was a complete blur.


	6. And Baby Makes Three

A/N: So yeah...Its been a LONG time since I've posted, and I'm waaay to busy to be taking on writing a fanfic right now, but hey...its been lingering over my head and I REALLY want to finish it! And I just realized how I start off every author's note with "Okay, so it's been a REALLY long time since I've posted", lol. Who needs free time anyway, right? ;) So, this chapter we will be seeing a new house, a new baby, new challenges and ... old foes. Oh crap. Read more and find out how Draco and Hermione will deal with... well, you'll see. Oh, and on a side note...from the Author's Note, lol, it wouldn't let me indent the paragraphs, don't know why, do please don't bitch at me about it, I don't really care for fans who nit pick every damn thing in your story when you write "then" instead of "than". Get a life :O! OMG! Death to spell check!

**Unto the End, Into the Beginning**

**Chapter Six: "And Baby Makes Three…"**

Hermione found herself speechless as she entered the old Warwick castle. The ceiling stood higher than any house she had ever seen. An odd smell filled her nostrils as she entered the main living area of the castle. It smelled like rotten eggs and day old cabbage. She dragged her hand across the wall as she turned the corner and into the kitchen. Over the years, a very thick layer of dust and dirt had accumulated on the walls. It was going to take a lot of work, but she could see this place as home. She turned around and her eyes were met with a rather large bouquet of roses, lilies and carnations. She took the flowers, which revealed Draco with a very large grin on his face.

"So? What do you think?"

"Draco, I think it's perfect. Or, at least...it will be, but its going to need a lot of work"

"Of course darling, anything you would like. Now let's go buy it before someone else snatches it up"

"Oh, I doubt there's any hurry," Hermione reassured him as she wiped her itchy eyes. She was going to have to do something about all this dust very soon.

"It's a very nice piece of land, Mister Malfoy. I'm sure you'll be very happy with it. Mr. Aitor has informed me of your deal. The remainder of your balance is 50,000 Galleons" said the man.

"I'll have my associate escort you to Gringotts this afternoon to make the withdrawal. Now, if you'll excuse me, there is a lot of work to be done," replied Draco.

Hermione and Draco had set up their bed in what would sometime soon be their bedroom. The castle made Hermione feel very empty, but to Draco it was a new beginning to life with his soon to be bride and child. They lay there together in silence; they didn't have a need for words. He held her hand tightly, their fingers intertwined.

"Draco!" she said excitedly moving his hand to her stomach.

He waited there for a moment, waiting for something. Then he felt it. His child was kicking. A wave of excitement and awe came over Draco, leaving him speechless. Inside Hermione's stomach was their child, and they were coming soon. He left his hand there, stroking her stomach softly until Hermione drifted into an uneasy sleep.

_Hermione shivered. There was an uneasy darkness and her breath came and went in clouds in front of her. She was alone in a cold, dark room. No, not alone. She could hear someone else breathing. A window above them opened and light flooded the room. In front of her sat a battered man, his arms and legs bound to the chair with brown rope. __From the red marks on his skin on either side of the rope, she could tell they were very tight. His eyes were blindfolded, but it didn't cover the cuts on his face. In fact, there were cuts all over his body, easily viewed through his torn clothing. His head hung down, he was either asleep or dead._

_Suddenly, the window opened and a small package hit the floor hard. The echo told Hermione that the room was bigger than she had thought. The man's head shot up, and he began to panic. Even though he couldn't see, she could tell he knew what the package was, and it wasn't good for him. He began to scream out, and it pierced Hermione's ears with such a force she didn't think she could ever forget it. The room went dark again. _

Hermione rose abruptly from her sleep, drenched in sweat and seconds later Draco awoke as well, concern on his face.

"Hermione, what's wrong?" he asked.

"Nothing," she lied, "I just think my dinner didn't settle well, but I'll be fine," she said, lying back down.

Draco wasn't so easily convinced, but he decided not to push it, as it could have been fears about the coming birth Hermione was facing. He grudgingly went back to sleep.

Hermione made sure she was facing away from him, pondering the possible meanings of her dream, tears streaming down her cheeks.

"Welcome, Cadets, to your first day of your third level training. My name is Gabriel Morgan and I'll prepare you for your final examination. I have no tolerance for foolery or recklessness. By the end of your training with me, you're going to be tired, and you may even hate me... but I'll make you an Auror. You're going to be exhausted, starved, you'll have little sleep and I'm going to push you beyond any limits you may think you have. And once you break, I'm going to push you harder. Death Eater's will show you no mercy, and neither will I. If at any time you find this training too difficult for you, do us all a favor and leave, because we don't have room for men like you out in the field." At this point, the Cadets were exchanging nervous looks amongst each other, each of them trying to overcome their own insecurities.

"Today, I'm going to show you what it's like to be a Prisoner of Voldemort. For some of you, this is your first simulation. For others, you've already had the displeasure of experiencing the real thing," he quickly glanced at Harry, and then back to the center of his audience. Three men dressed in cloaks entered the room and stood at the door.

"Finnigan!" Morgan cried, Seamus looking very tense, "You're up first!"

The three men came up behind him and grabbed him. Seamus, not sure of what was actually going on, struggled with the men. In the end, he was overpowered and drug out of the room. Jacob, who had been sitting next to Draco, gulped and shifted uneasily in his seat. Over the next two hours the cadets were being picked off, one or two at a time. The ninth time the men entered the room and another one had joined them, and they grabbed Draco and Harry.

A steal door opened and Harry was thrown into the room, hitting the floor hard. The door next to Harry's room opened and the two men shoved Draco into the small room with such a force that he hit the wall on the other side of the room. Draco heard the door slam behind him and before he could act, three of the men forced him into a chair, and bound his arms and legs to the chair with brown rope. Draco flinched slightly when they tied the rope; it was cutting off his circulation. Finally, they used old cloth with a very odd smell to blindfold him and everything went dark. Then, silence was all he could hear.

Draco shivered, it seemed like he had been in there for hours, cold and alone. Leaving him alone for his thoughts to consume him was worse than any punishment anyone could inflict on him. Little did the Ministry know that Draco had endured more of Voldemort's wrath than Potter had, or ever would. When the Dark Lord had found out he had impregnated a muggle..._NO_, he wasn't going to think about that right now. He didn't want to think about the deal he made with Aitor or how he was lying to Hermione every day of his life. Their fresh start together was built on a lie, and it was eating Draco alive. Should he tell her? Or would she hate him for the decision he had made? Why should she hate him? Their child was going to have two loving parents. Of course, if she ever found out...How would she find out? His mind had a cynical retort for everything his heart was feeling. His eyes began to sting. He came to the conclusion that whatever the odd smell on the bandage was, it was some sort of chemical that was irritating his eyes. His swollen eyes fluttered. Through the bandage, he could tell that there was a light not far from him. He heard footsteps.

"Ready to talk Malfoy?" came a harsh voice in front of him.

"That little git ain't brave enough to talk," came a voice draped with a heavy accent to his left.

"Oh yeah, I'm ready for a great conversation. How's the wife?" Draco replied with a scratchy voice, he hadn't realized how thirsty he was until now. He managed a smirk, but he wasn't exactly sure who it had been directed at.

He felt a fist crash into his stomach with such a force it would have knocked him onto the ground, but he guessed someone was holding the chair. That's what he would have done. He knew one of the men was really close to him now; he could smell his foul breath and felt it on his face.

"Listen 'ere, I know you think you're a brave man. You want ter be honorable and save whoe'er it is yer protectin'. But I think we both now you better than that, don't we?"

"I think the only one that knows me is myself, thank you," Draco spat.

"Ah, now that's not true, is it? She knows you very well, doesn't she?" Draco shifted uneasily in his chair, and the man seemed to have got the reaction he was looking for, "now that I've got your attention," he continued, "Let's get down ter business"

"I'm not telling you anything!" Draco informed him.

"Oh, I'll be beggin' your pardon sir, I think you will.'Cuz see, if yer don't, I've got a plan. I think you'll be quite interested! It's a brilliant one, it is. I'll bring her here, and I'll tell her all your nasty little secrets, and then she'll know it's your fault why she's in danger. But it won't just be her, but your unborn baby too. I'll rip that child right out of her and then I'll slit her throat, nice and slow like, and you'll have a front row seat." The man laughed coldly.

By this time, Draco was filled with such a rage, that he managed to rise and swing his chair around, breaking it against one of the men's body. He had managed to free himself from half of the chair, another piece still tied to his arm. He removed his blindfold just in time to swing the arm piece against the head of another man and made his way for the door. He opened it, and on the other side stood Morgan and Wood.

"Brilliant!" exclaimed Morgan, "wonderful performance!"

It was then that Draco had realized where the light had been coming from; the two of them had been watching the whole thing from behind the glass.

"Bloody Hell!" one of the men cried, rising from the ground, "I'm going to have a headache for days" he said, wiping the blood from his right temple.

"Here is your sheet, you've passed. Congratulations Malfoy, but don't get cocky, that's just day one. You've got a few more weeks ahead of you before you can even think about that final examination. Oh, by the way, this owl came for you, just got it before you escaped." Morgan handed him a small piece of parchment and left the room, the rest of the men following him. His eyes lit with excitement and he rushed into the locker room to grab his cloak, leaving the parchment forgotten on the floor.

_DRACO-_

_COME SOON, HERMIONE'S GONE INTO LABOR. YOU'RE GOING TO BE A FATHER!_

_GINNY WEASLEY_

_P.S. I THINK YOU'RE A GIT, BUT YOU SEEM TO MAKE HERMIONE HAPPY, ONLY MERLIN KNOWS WHY!_

Draco ran through the halls of Saint Mungo's Hospital as if his life depended on it. He passed a sign that said "Maternity Ward" and slid to a halt. He doubled back and turned the corner until he collided with Ginny.

"Ouch!" she shouted. "Calm down, you git! Hermione's not going to have the baby any faster just because you're here!"

"Malfoy!" came a shout three doors down. A man wearing white robes with a red cross signaled for him to come to him.

Draco took long strides to meet up with him.

"Draco Malfoy?" The Man asked again. Draco nodded in reply, too nervous to form words.

"We've got Hermione stable for now," the man began, but was interrupted by a worried Draco, "What do you mean for now?"

"Please, Mister Malfoy, let me finish. She hasn't delivered yet; she's about half way there. We've been having some minor complications, her heart rate has dropped a few times while we've been monitoring her, but we manage to get it back up. However, she's not as responsive to the spells as we would like. Your baby was turned the wrong way, but we've gotten that all fixed. You can relax…"

"Relax?! Easy for you to say! No, I'm not going to relax until I've got Hermione and our child in my arms!"

"I understand that this is a scary time for you right now, but you've got to remain calm for Hermione right now."

"Can I see her then?" Draco asked eagerly.

"I'm afraid not just yet, have a seat and I'll let you know when it'll be okay for you to come in."

Draco reluctantly fell into a chair right outside of the waiting room and cupped his head in his hands. He needed to get a grip on things. Hermione's condition was fragile, very fragile and he couldn't help thinking that this was his fault. Maybe someone had down something to her, to his child, to get to him. When he found out whom, there would be nothing stopping him from…Calm down, he told himself.

In the delivery room, Hermione was tightly gripping the hand of the nurse, Caroline, who was helping her through her difficult contraction and the overall delivery of her child. The pain subsided and Hermione fell back onto her pillow. Caroline wiped the sweat off of Hermione's forehead. What seemed like hours later, Hermione's face lit up as Draco entered the room. He immediately went to her side and kissed her cheek. He held her hand in his.

_-_

_I would di__e for you. I would die for you._

_I've been dying jus__t to feel you by my side_

_To know that you're mine,_

-

"You've never been more beautiful than you are now," he said, brushing the hair from her face.

"You're a really great liar," she said with the widest grin he had ever seen.

_-_

_I will cry for you. I will cry for you._

_I will wash away your pain with all my tears_

_And drown your fear_

-

He kissed her forehead and her grip on his hand tightened and she leaned foreword, fighting her way through the contraction. Hermione struggled through two more contractions until it was time for her final push.

"That's it Hermione, push!" came the encouragement of the healer delivering her baby.

Time seemed to slow as Draco saw Hermione give life to their child. He saw his son take his first breath of oxygen and then exercise his new lungs with an odd sort of screaming.

_-_

_I will pray for you. I will pray for you._

_I will sell my soul for something pure and true_

_Someone like you_

-

The Healer looked up at Draco and handed him his wand. His shaky hand performed the spell that removed his son's umbilical cord. The healers took their time testing the baby to see if he was healthy and cleaning him up, but Draco never took his eyes off of him.

_-_

_See your face every place that I walk in_

_Hear your voice every time that I'm talking_

_You will believe in me_

_And I will never be ignored_

-

Caroline wrapped him up in a small blue blanket and placed him in Hermione's eager hands.

"Hello handsome," she whispered to her son, and placed her first kiss on his forehead. He looked up at her with his large blue eyes, and he stopped screaming. He instantly fell asleep in her arms and she gently swayed him back and forth.

"Have you thought of a name for him?" Caroline asked. Draco looked to Hermione questioningly; they had actually never come to a complete agreement on a name. Hermione smiled and said, "Varius Damian."

-

_I would die for you. I would kill for you._

_To be close to you. To be part of you_

_Cause I believe in you_

_I believe in you_

_I would die for you_

-

"That's a perfect name," Draco said, never taking his eyes off of his son, still in awe of him.

_-_

_I would die for you_

-

When at last Draco could tear himself away from the mesmerizing eyes of his son, Varius, he looked up and standing there on the other side of the glass, was none other than Perseus Aitor.


	7. Until Death Do Us Part

A/N: I know, I know. I LOATHE Perseus Aitor too! He's worse than Umbridge, honestly! Anyway, if you haven't already guessed, Draco and Hermione are FINALLY getting married! So enjoy, because you know they'll be doing the same on their wedding night, haha::wink wink:: And since I haven't done it in a long time, as usual disclaimers, Harry Potter and all other characters, events, worlds belong to JK Rowling and Scholastic, blah blah blah, you know the drill. The song used in this chapter is entitled "Iris" and it's by the Goo Goo Dolls!

**Unto the End, Into the Beginning**

**Chapter Seven: "Until Death Do Us Part…."**

"Aitor, "Draco spat bitterly, "I thought I told you never to see me in public again."

"I come to congratulate you on the birth of your new child and this is the thanks I get?" Aitor questioned with a smug look on his face.

"Cut with the lies, Aitor. What do you want?"

"You're lying to yourself Draco, if you really think you can keep this happy life without repaying your debt to the covenant. Look at them," he said, pointing to the glass.

Draco watched as Hermione held their tiny son, her eyes were locked on Varius, and she hadn't stopped smiling in hours. Potter and Weasley were in there with her.

"Do you really want to lose all that, Draco? You know I can take it all away. Or I could just simply have a little chat with Hermione…"

"No!" Draco half shouted, but then lowered his voice, realizing they were still in the hospital and people we're walking through the halls. He moved closer to Perseus, "I'll do what you want, just not now. Leave me time with my family."

"I'm afraid your time is quickly running out, Draco. Now I've got some business to attend to, but you're a fool if you think this is the last of me. Do you think she'd still love you if she really knew? Do you think she'd really stay?" Aitor tipped his hat at Draco and made it a few feet away from him before apparating from the hospital.

"Hey Hermione!" said Harry and Ron, opening the hospital door wider to reveal that they came with an assortment of balloons and flowers.

"You guys didn't have to bring all this…"

"Of course we did, you're a mommy now," Harry said, setting the flowers on the nightstand beside her bed. Ron stood on her other side; Varius was fast asleep in her arms.

"You guys have been so supportive, thank you."

"Don't mention it," Ron said, his cheeks turning darker then his normal shade of pink.

"So how do you feel?" Harry asked.

"Really tired, nervous, scared, excited, and wonderful!" she said, laughing.

"Hey, who is that Draco is talking with? Harry asked.

"Hermione looked out of her room and noticed the man for the first time. "Actually," she said, "I have no idea. I'm sure it's an academy friend."

"Yeah, well, we should probably let you get some rest, we just wanted to come in and see you. Let you know we're here." Harry and Ron each kissed one of Hermione's cheeks.

"You guys will be at the wedding, won't you? You'll be part of the party?"

"We'll check our schedule," Ron said, laughing.

Hermione smiled.

Harry opened the door to see Draco standing there. They acknowledged each other by nodding, and then Harry and Ron left.

Draco re-entered the hospital room and was greeted with Hermione's smiling face. Her hair was a mess and there were large bags under her eyes. She had an IV taped around her right arm and her blue hospital gown was terribly wrinkled. She had never been more beautiful to him than she was now, the mother of his child. He couldn't let Aitor take his life away, not now, not when he had worked so hard to get it back.

"Where'd you go?" she asked, her voice seemed small, Draco could tell she was exhausted.

"Oh, I saw someone from the academy," he lied quickly.

"I love you," she said, reaching out for his hand. He took her hand into his and squeezed it gently. Her other hand was wrapped around Varius, "both of you, so much. The two most amazing men in my life."

"I love you too and I can't wait to make you my bride. In a little more than a month, we'll be a real family.

"Draco, we already are a family…"

"But we'll be the family you deserve. We'll be husband and wife with a home of our own to raise our children in and no one is going to stand in our way."

"Draco, is everything alright?" Hermione asked.

"Yes," he said, realizing he had let his fear get the best of himself in front of Hermione, a fear he had been trying to control for quite some time now. But every smile, every kiss, made his deal with Aitor worth it. He hadn't let _anything_ keep him from seeing the birth of his son.

"Don't worry, Draco. Everything is going to be okay."

"Yes, it will be," he said, kissing her on the forehead. "Now you need to get some rest, okay?"

"Okay," she said reluctantly, gently placing Varius into Draco's arms.

"Take good care of him, daddy," she said softly, before quickly drifting off into a deep sleep.

"Daddy," he whispered softly to himself, looking down at Varius, who gave a big yawn and tightly grasped Draco's pinky with his small hands.

Hermione stood in front of the mirror, twirling and twisting, trying to see every angle of the dress. She wore a strapless organza gown with a pleated red band at the waist and apron back with a red satin edge, which extended into a lengthy train. Her hair had been pulled back into a bun, with curls falling down loosely around her face. Ginny pinned the veil, which had a matching red satin lining, just under her bun.

"You look beautiful, Hermione" said Ginny, placing Hermione's diamond necklace around her neck "and these gowns are gorgeous!!"

She was dressed in a strapless red satin gown that matched the red that Hermione's gown was accented with. There was a diamond broach in the center of her bust. The dress was fitted, and ruffled down to the floor. Hermione smiled when she turned around and saw Ginny, she had grown up so much these past few years. She had managed to step away from everyone's shadows and really become her own person. Hermione hadn't fully realized that last year of course, because she was been so consumed with her own life.

"Thanks Ginny," she said, putting the matching earrings in, "I'm just so nervous."

"Don't worry, that's completely normal! Well, that's what everyone says at least…"

"Could you just go check on Draco and Harry and Ron and make sure they haven't killed each other yet?" Hermione asked, biting her lip nervously.

"No problem, just try and relax," she said, making her way to the door, "I'll send mum in," she added, before closing the door.

A few moments later Hermione heard a small knock on the door. She opened it expecting to see Ginny's mom, but instead came eye to eye with her own.

"Mom? What are you doing here?" Hermione asked, confused.

"Well can't a mother see her own daughter on her wedding day?"

"Well, I just didn't think you'd come…" Hermione said, opening the door wider. Her mother entered the room and Hermione quickly shut the door behind her, she didn't want anyone seeing her in her dress before the ceremony.

"You said that you'd call," her mother said, a slight quicker in her voice.

"What?" asked Hermione in confusion.

"You said you'd call when you went into labor, but you didn't. Why not?"

"Oh mom, I don't know. I'm sorry. I was just upset, you were always pushing me to move back to the muggle world, and … "

"Hermione, I missed out on the greater part of your childhood, please don't keep me out of your life now. Especially when you're starting a family…I'm sorry I was always on you, I just missed you sweetie, that's all."

Hermione sat down beside her mom and wrapped her arms around her. "I'm sorry, Mom…"

"It's quite alright, dear. Now, we've got to get you ready for this wedding!"

"Were you nervous, mom? Before you married dad? I love Draco with all my heart, and our love is only stronger now that we have a son…but my stomach is all twisted in knots."

"Hermione, darling, it's perfectly normal for a woman to be nervous before her wedding. The bride is the center of the attention of the ceremony and the reception. Young girls get nervous about running a household, but you are one of the most talented, intelligent women out there Hermione, and you're going to be a great wife and a great mother."

As Hermione's mother was wiping her eyes, Molly entered the room. "Oh, excuse me; I wasn't expecting anyone else to be in here"

"Molly," Hermione smiled, "this is my mum."

"Of course dear, I remember. You must be so proud of her Mrs. Granger. Well, I just came to wish you all the luck, dear. I'm about to send your bridesmaids, are you ready?"

"We'll just need to touch up her mascara before she goes," Hermione's mom said, dabbing her own eyes as well.

_-_

_And I__'d give up forever to touch you_

_'Cause __I know that you feel me somehow_

_You're the clos__est to heaven that I'll ever be_

_And I don't want to go home right now_

-

Hermione took a deep breath and walked out of her dressing room into the main hall. She could hear her march music and she smiled. Molly handed Hermione her bouquet of roses, and she slowly walked out into the room, when hundreds of eyes instantly fell upon her.

-

_And__ all I can taste is this moment_

_And__ all I can breathe is your life_

_Cause sooner or later it's over_

_I just don't want to miss you tonight_

-

Rose petals sprinkled the floor as she walked, her long train caressing the aisle as she walked. Her eyes met with Draco for the first time since she had entered the room. He stood waiting for her at the altar dressed in his traditional black wedding robes with a white shirt and a black tie. Hermione smiled, he looked more handsome then she had ever seen him.

-

_And I__ don't want the world to see me_

_'Cause I don__'t think that they'd understand_

_When__ everything's made to be broken_

_I just want you to know who I am_

-

To Hermione, it seemed like she had been walking past the aisles for an eternity. She finally reached Draco waiting there for her at the altar. Crabbe and Goyle stood beside him. Harry and Ron were on the step below, and it was hard to read their emotions. He moved the veil out of her place, and moved it gently back into place just under her bun. His eyes opened wider when he saw her, her beauty took his breath away. The ministry official had begun to speak, but she couldn't quite make out his words. She couldn't tear her eyes away from Draco.

-

_And you can't fight the tears that ain't coming__Or the moment of truth in your lies__When everything feels like the movies__Yeah you bleed just to know you're alive_

_-_

Hermione and Draco joined hands and smiled at each other. She could she flashes of cameras going off out of the corner of her eye.

"Draco," the ministry official began, "you will repeat after me. Hermione, with this ring, I thee wed. To have and to hold, from this day forward, for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness or in health, to love and to cherish 'till death do us part. And hereto I pledge you my faithfulness."

Draco repeated the wizard's words and slipped Hermione's ring onto her finger.

_-_

_And I__ don't want the world to see me_

_'Cause I don't think that they'd understand_

_When__ everything's made to be broken_

_I just want you to know who I am_

_-_

"Hermione," he continued, "you will repeat after me. Draco, with the ring, I thee wed. To have and to hold, from this day forward, for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish, 'till death do us part. And hereto I pledge you my faithfulness."

Hermione repeated the words and placed the white gold band onto Draco's finger.

_-_

_And I__ don't want the world to see me_

_'Cause I don't think t__hat they'd understand_

_When__ everything's made to be broken_

_I just want you to know who I am_

_-_

"Hermione and Draco will now seal their vows to one another."

The Ministry Official handed Hermione and Draco a wand and they joined their hands together and raised them above their heads. They shot a red spark off into the air and the audience clapped and cheered.

_-_

_And I don't want the world to see me_

_'Cause I don't think that they'd understand_

_When everything's made to be broken_

_I just want you to know who I am_

_-_

"Hermione and Draco have sealed their vows by igniting their eternal flame. I now present to you Mr. and Mrs. Draco Malfoy."

Draco pulled Hermione to him and kissed her intensely. He lifted her into the air and twirled her around several times. They took their walk together down the aisle as the friends threw rose petals and confetti, following them into the reception hall.

_-_

_I just want you to know who I am__-_

Hermione and Draco's reception lasted well into the night. They had begun with their first dance, and hadn't been off the dance floor much since then. They did the traditional cutting of the cake, only with a wand, instead of a knife. Hermione's parents were glad to see so many muggle traditions at the wedding, or at least very similar ones. One they were not so pleased about, of course, was the garter toss.

Hermione put her leg up onto a chair and Draco dropped to his knees. Hermione grabbed the layers of her dress and pulled it up on one side, revealing the better part of her right leg. Draco slide his hands up her smooth legs to her thighs, where he grabbed her blue lacey garter and slowly slid it down her leg. Hermione didn't make a sound; she only starred back into his eyes.

He stood up, but he didn't turn back to face the eligible bachelors he had asked to assemble around him. He smiled at Hermione, raised his hands over his head and shot the garter toward the crowd like a rubber band. He turned back to see Harry twirling the garter around his finger. Something about the image of Potter holding something that had just been around his wife's leg rather unsettling.

Hermione tapped Draco on the shoulder, who turned around and was met with a kiss. This was why he didn't envy Potter in the least bit. Hermione had chosen him, not Potter. He had finally beaten him at what mattered the most.

"My turn," she said, breaking the kiss, "alright ladies, gather around! You'll want this bouquet, it looks like Harry Potter is next to get married!" she said rather loudly, smiling in Harry's direction, who looked rather annoyed by her comment.

No less than 40 girls gathered on the dance floor, all eagerly waiting the bouquet. Hermione turned around away from the girls, closed her eyes, and threw her beautiful rose bouquet into the air. He turned around, open her eyes, and saw Ginny holding the bouquet. Hermione was definitely not going to let her live this down later.

Hermione danced with Harry, Ron, Neville, Dean and just about every Weasley there that night. She also got to dance with Remus, who was nervous about his approaching wedding, which was in about two weeks. She was headed toward the tables to rest her feet when she heard a voice say, "Don't I get a dance?"

Hermione turned around and met eyes with Sirius, who she hadn't seen since Narcissa's funeral. She smiled wide and ran into his arms. He wrapped his arms around her and gave her a tight squeeze.

"I didn't think you'd be within twenty miles of a Malfoy wedding, Sirius."

"Well, this is the Granger Malfoy wedding, isn't it? And for the second time, may I have this dance?"

Hermione offered her hand to Sirius, who led her back on to the dance floor. Draco was watching Sirius and Hermione intently. Sirius twirled Hermione so Draco would be out of her view.

"Thank you Sirius, you being here means a lot to me."

"I came here for you, Hermione and to see Harry. You know I didn't come to support him."

"But he loves me and we're happy and we have a son, Sirius! Can't you just be happy for us?"

"I'm happy for you Hermione, and I don't want to ruin your big day. I just don't trust him; I can tell when a man has a secret. You can see it in his eyes; see it eating away at him."

"Sirius…" Hermione said firmly.

"You're right Hermione, I'm sorry." They danced in silence until the song was over. He kissed her hand and squeezed it gently. He looked straight into her eyes, like he was trying to warn her about something. He nodded at her and made his way to the door, leaving Hermione in confusion.

Draco put his hands on Hermione's shoulders and squeezed them gently. Hermione turned around and smiled, kissing him softly.

"You about ready to go? It's nearing midnight…"

"Yeah, let's go say goodnight to Varius"

"Of course."

"There's mommy!" Molly said, pointing to Hermione as she approached.

"Hi Sweetie!" she said, taking Varius into her arms and showering his forehead and cheeks with kisses.

"Molly, thank you so much for watching him," Hermione said.

"Oh, think nothing of it, dear! I'm not a grandma yet, so I'm getting my practice in! You two enjoy yourselves now, you just owl me when you want me to bring Varius by."

"Thank you, Mrs. Weasley," Draco said, tipping his hat at her and smiling.

"You're welcome," she said, still not used to Draco being such a polite young man.

Draco mumbled a spell and the door to their home flung open. He picked Hermione and carried her through the door way. No sooner had he planted her feet on the ground did he pull her into a kiss. His hands roamed her body and she let out soft moan through their kisses. Before she knew it, Draco had apparated them into the bedroom.

"Let me get out of my dress, okay?" Hermione said, smiling.

"Yeah, alright," he said, not talking his eyes off of her as she walked into the bathroom and shut the door.

Draco loosened his tie and kicked off his shoes. He threw his cloak over a chair and he was unbuttoning his shirt when he glanced into the mirror. He could barely stand to even look at himself. Sirius was right about one thing, lies can eat away at a man's soul. Maybe he should just tell Hermione, then Aitor would lose his hold over him. But would she still love him if he really knew? They hadn't even been married for twenty-four hours; he wasn't going to lose her already.

Hermione carefully hung her gown from a hanger on the shower rod. She could hardly believe she was finally married to Draco. The ceremony was perfect, and the reception was unbelievable. Well, Sirius' words had upset her a little bit. The nerve of him, telling her that her new husband was lying to her at her own wedding. What would Draco have to lie about? Maybe Sirius was just assuming that Draco was secretly continuing to run his father's business or something. No matter, she knew that Draco loved her, and she certainly wasn't going to let Sirius ruin her wedding night, something she was already nervous about, even though she didn't know why.

She actually didn't remember ever making love to Draco after the night Varius was conceived. In fact, Hermione hadn't really had any time to wonder why she couldn't remember certain things. _Stop it! _She thought to herself, she was not going to let Sirius get her all worked up over nothing. She locked herself over in the mirror one last time, and opened up the bathroom door.

Draco's eyes fixed on Hermione, his jaw dropped slightly. She was wearing a red corset with black lacing in the front. She had the matching panties that tied with leather string just below her hips. Her red garters held up her black nylons, and she was wearing black high heels trimmed in lace. Her have never seen this side of his new wife before, but he liked it.

Hermione slowly walked to Draco and stopped just short of him. "Tonight," she whispered seductively into his ear, "nothing matters but us."

Without hesitation, Draco pulled her body to his and kissed her forcefully. Her mouth opened instantly and allowed his tongue access. Not breaking their kiss, he walked her backwards to the bed. She sat down, but kept Draco standing. She undid the zipper of his pants and let them fall to the floor, never breaking their eye contact. She rubbed him through his silk boxers, and he began to moan. She closed her eyes and let the moment sink into her skin; it had been so long since she had made Draco moan like that.

Hermione pulled the boxers off and replaced her fingers with her tongue. She slid her tongue up and down, grasping the top tightly with her fingers and Draco gasped at the added pressure. She reached the bottom with her tongue and began to suck. Draco placed a hand on the back of her neck, running his fingers through her hair. She bit down and he half-screamed out her name in pleasure. She lay back onto the bed and he kissed her again.

"That," he said, planting a trail of kisses down her neck, "was amazing."

Hermione smiled, "Oh Draco, we're just getting started."

Draco unlaced her corset, which took longer than he would have liked, and quickly discarded into the pile of clothes forming on the floor. He took one of her breasts into his mouth, his tongue making soft circles across the sensitive skin. His other hand massaged her other breast, almost kneading it like dough. Now Draco was in control of Hermione, and he sent chills down her spine. She had one hand running through his hair and the other was grabbing his shoulder. She was biting her lower lip, and moaning louder by the minute.

"I love the way you say my name," Draco said, "It drives me crazy."

He continued kissing her stomach until he reached her panties. He untied the leather ties with his teeth, which drove Hermione crazy.

"Oh Draco," Hermione arched her back in response to his warm tongue entering her body. He loved how sweet she tasted; it was like he could never get enough. He pulled his tongue in and out and her thigh muscles tightened around his head. He drank every drop of her sweetness as she came.

Hermione pulled Draco back up to eye level and kissed him with intensity only he could match. He caressed her outer thigh as they kissed, feeling the silkiness of her garter. He slowly drug his hand to her inner thigh. She opened her legs to him and he began to rub her gently.

"Will you be okay?" he asked, just now remembering the doctor's words that she'd be sore for up to two months after giving birth.

"Draco, I need you tonight more than ever. I'll be fine," Hermione said, placing her hand on his.

Draco smiled and whispered, "I'll be gentle."

Hermione rolled her eyes, "where have I heard that before?"

He kissed her again and pushed her bent legs up towards her waist. He entered her slowly, and she winced in pain.

"I'm sorry," he said instantly.

"It's okay," Hermione said, wrapping her legs around his waist. He moved slowly at first, letting her adjust to the pace. His quickened his thrusts and Hermione moved her hips to meet them. He pulled out and then re-entered her, finding that one spot that made her go crazy. She dug her nails into his back, screaming out his name is ecstasy. He thrust into her again and again, her muscles gripping him tighter each time. He groaned in pleasure, the way he felt inside of her was indescribable. Draco couldn't get enough of her. Realizing she was quickly reaching her climax, he slowed his pace. He wanted to last as long as possible.

Hermione flipped their bodies so she was on top and flashed Draco that mischievous smile of hers. She put her hands on his hard abs for support as she imitated his powerful thrusts. He had his hands on her hips, guiding her. She rose up and came back down, hitting that right spot every time. She came in a rush and called out his name several times. She pressed her body into his and kissed him, not breaking their contact. She sucked on his bottom lip and his hands found their way up her thighs, and he was on top of her once again. He held her tight as they climaxed together and fell into each others arms from exhaustion.

"You've been married for two weeks now, Hermione and I don't think you've stopped smiling," said Ginny.

"I know," said Hermione, who was smiling as she fed Varius. "But I don't have a reason to stop smiling; I've got a wonderful husband and a beautiful son."

"Hey, I've been meaning to ask, how did you come up with the name Varius?"

"Well, it means "_versatile"_ and since Draco and I have different talents, I don't know…I think he'll be good at a long of things. He'll be strong and athletic, intelligent and cunning, and stubborn beyond belief!"

"You read my mind! I don't think two people could be more stubborn. Poor little tyke never had a chance!"

"Ginny," said Molly, walking into the room with a tray of tea and biscuits, "that's not very nice! This little guy is going to be quite the gentlemen."

"Hermione said it first, mum," Ginny added in her defense.

"So dear, how is Draco?" asked Molly.

Hermione wasn't completely sure if Molly was genuinely interested or not, but she appreciated her asking none the less, "He's doing great, getting ready for his next test. I think he's going for level four soon. He's at home studying for the written exam right now. That's why I came over here, figured I should give him some proper study time."

"Well, I'm certainly glad you came. You and this little man are always welcome here."

"Thanks Molly," said Hermione, still smiling.

Draco shut his text book in frustration. He hadn't been able to concentrate on his studies for the last hour, and he had no idea why. Something just didn't feel right, like...

"Hello, Draco" came Perseus' voice from the kitchen, where Draco had left the back door unlocked.

"I should have known," Draco mumbled to himself.

"Did you think I'd just forget or decide that since you have a child you can just forget your debt?"

"No, but you haven't been exactly giving me tasks, I told you I'd do whatever you want me to."

"I want you to kill Harry Potter," Perseus said simply.

Draco starred at Perseus in disbelief. "You _must_ be joking; my wife would hate me forever!"

"Well, then don't tell your wife it was you, it's not as if they're going to be any witnesses…"

"But…" Draco interrupted.

"I'm a reasonable man, Draco. But I'm beginning to lose my patience with you. I'm glad I anticipated your reaction correctly."

Draco had a look of confusion as four men in black cloaks walked into the room and immediately began to bind his arms and legs. Draco fought the men furiously, but four to one wasn't good odds for any man.

"You really brought this on yourself, Draco. It's nothing personal, just business you know. The Dark Lord will decide what to do with you now, may he have mercy on your soul. Although, I think we both know our Lord doesn't understand the concept of mercy very well."

Perseus walked up to Aitor and cast a spell on Draco's throat that silenced his screams, "Now no one is going to hear you suffer."

Even without his voice, Draco fought the men all the way of his house. They took him through the backyard, where he elbowed one of the men in the stomach and punched another with his bound hands. He began to run but his feet were bound, and he instead he hit the ground hard. Perseus stood over Draco's body and laughed. His laughter was the last thing Draco heard before everything went completely dark.


	8. The Man with the Bloody Face

A/N: SPOILERS AHEAD!!!! Okay, I know that it's been a while since I posted. BUT, I was on vacation in Anaheim AND of course, reading Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows! As such, I would like to remind everyone that my story had broken away from normal plot line, and I do not recognize, condone, promote, accept or agree with any of the following deaths; Sirius Black, Albus Dumbledore, Mad-Eye Moody, Hedwig, Dobby, Fred Weasley, Ted Tonks, Colin Creevey, REMUS AND NYMPHADORA LUPIN and yes, Severus Snape. Anybody else can burn in wizarding hell, THIS MEANS YOU BELLATRIX!! On a final note, I would like to point out, as per myspace and what I've been saying for years, SNAPE IS LOYAL, because of his love for Lily Potter, DRACO ISN'T EVIL (even though he is a bit of a git) and ::dances around happily:: Harry is a horcrux!!! I was right, I was right! Muahahahahah!!!

**Unto the End, Into the Beginning**

**Chapter Eight: The Man with the Bloody Face**

**By Egyptian Angel **

_Hermione walked through the forest. She could hear the peaceful sounds of the singing birds and the babbling brooks. She took in a deep breath and exhaled slowly. She heard heavy footsteps in the clearing ahead. When she reached the clearing, she saw three men in hooded cloaks carrying another man's body. It was hard to tell if he was alive or not. She followed them to a large rock. _

_The tallest of the three men muttered something, but Hermione couldn't understand what he had said. Within seconds, part of the rock opened and the men carried the body into the cave. Hermione ran to make it in before the stone door closed again. There was an uneasy darkness and her breath came and went in clouds in front of her. She was alone in a cold, dark room. She felt the hair on the back of her neck stand up as something moved behind her. She turned around qui__ckly, but no one was there. No,__ she couldn't be alone. She could hear someone else breathing. She had been in this very room before, had this very same dream. _

_A window above them opened and light flooded the room. In front of her sat a battered man, his arms and legs bound to the chair with brown rope. From the red marks on his skin on either side of the rope, she could tell they were very tight. His eyes were blindfolded, but it didn't cover the cuts on his face. In fact, there were cuts all over his body, easily viewed through his torn clothing. His head hung down, he was either asleep or dead. She slowly walked to the man, something she had never done in this dream before. She slowly rose his head up and looked at him. It was Draco. Hermione screamed and frantically tried to untie him, but the more she worked at the knot the tighter it got. _

_Suddenly, the window opened and a small package hit the floor hard. The echo told Hermione that the room was bigger than she had thought. Draco's head shot up and he began to panic. Even though he couldn't see, she could tell he knew what the package was, and it wasn't good for him. _

_Hermione shouted, "Draco! "Several times, but he gave no response. It became obvious to her that he couldn't hear her. _

_He began to scream out, and it pierced Hermione's ears with such a force she didn't think she could ever forget it. Hermione ran to the box and tried to life it from the floor, but it was much too heavy. When she finally gave up, she looked at her hands. They were covered in blood. The room went dark again._

"Draco!" Hermione screamed, sitting up in bed. She was hot and sweating through her night shirt. When she received no reply, she screamed for him again.

Within moments, Molly and Ginny entered the room. Hermione had been completely unaware that she had fallen asleep on Molly's couch, and that they had moved her upstairs into a bed about an hour ago.

"I have to go," she said, getting out of bed.

"What's the matter, dear?" Molly asked, her face wrinkling in concern.

"It's Draco, he's in danger!"

"Did he owl you?" Ginny asked.

"No, I had a dream." Hermione said firmly.

Molly and Ginny exchanged glances before Molly spoke again, "Hermione, dear, you must have just had a bad dream, that's all."

"Molly, I appreciate it, but you don't understand. Draco is in trouble, I can feel it. Could you just watch Varius for a little while?" Hermione asked, looking for her shoes.

"Well, of course dear. But if you think he's in danger, you shouldn't go alone…"

However, Molly's concern went unheard as Hermione rushed from the house and quickly shut the door behind her.

"Ginny, you should owl Harry and Remus."

Ginny nodded in agreement and quickly scratched a note that read:

_URGENT MESSAGE_

_Hermione just left our house. She said that Draco was in danger and she left for the manner. Please send a team to the Malfoy Manner immediately._

_Ginny_

Ginny made a few copies of the parchment and sent them off with her tawny owl, which was still munching on his treats as he took flight out her window.

Hermione apparated in front of the gates to her manner. She gasped at the sight of the Dark Mark above their normally peaceful house. She pushed open the heavy gates and ran to the front doors as fast as she could. She didn't have to wait long to discover who the Death Eaters had killed. She found one of their maids, Connie, lying on their staircase with her eyes wide open. Hermione sighed with a mix of relief and sorrow. She knelt beside Connie and slowly closed her eyes. She noticed that Connie was clutching a bit of parchment. She removed it from her hand and unfolded it.

_Mrs. Malfoy -_

_Your husband will pay dearly for his foolishness. We have taken him to be judged by the Dark Lord for his disloyalty. We look forward to your feeble attempt to rescue him. It would be our please if Mister Potter accompanied you._

_Perseus Aitor_

Hermione stuffed the parchment into her pocket after reading it several times, although she was still very confused. Who was Perseus Aitor? Whoever he was, he wasn't a man to be taken lightly. He wanted to kill Hermione and Harry so much that he was looking forward to it, apparently. What had Draco done? It was now obvious to Hermione that Draco had secrets he hadn't shared with her yet, and now his life was in jeopardy. She summoned for help with Connie's body and left for the House of Black immediately.

She entered the House to find a good portion of the order at their meeting table; some of the members were in a very heated conversation. Their expressions seemed to soften when they saw Hermione return unharmed.

"Hermione," said Harry, rushing to her side as his strong arms scooped her up into a hug.

She began to sob into his shoulder, and Harry, shocked by her reaction, stroked her hair softly in an attempt to comfort her.

"They took him," she said into Harry's shoulder.

"What?"

"They took him," she said, standing back and drying her eyes, "I had this horrible nightmare so I went to the manner and they shot up the Dark Mark above our house. They killed one of my maids. Why did I have to fall asleep at Molly's? I could have stopped it! I could have saved him!" She said this all very quickly, and she didn't dare mention the note that she found. She didn't want anyone to twist this around into him being a traitor.

"Hermione," said Remus calmly, "we're all so grateful that you weren't there. Besides, you'd be no use to your husband if you were taken captive as well."

"We've got to get a team together and go find him."

"Now hang on a second," Harry said, placing an arm on her shoulder, "it hasn't even been that long since you gave birth to Varius. You've got a newborn to take care of, Hermione. Besides, we don't even know where to look for him."

"Which means what, exactly? We do nothing?!" Hermione shouted.

"I think what Harry means, Hermione, is that we need to come up with a plan before we hunt Death Eaters, wands at the ready, unprepared," Remus chimed in.

"I'll get on their trail on and owl you all when it's the right to move. In the meantime, Remus, you start organizing a team," said Bill.

"I should be the one to trail them!" Hermione argued.

"NO!" several members of the order said in unison, which only added to Hermione's frustration.

"Hermione, you're much too weak. Please, just let us handle this," Remus said.

Several members nodded in agreement. Remus laid a large piece of parchment out onto to table and they began to formulate a few plans.

Hermione wasn't so easily comforted by this, though. She didn't know how seriously they were going to take Draco's disappearance. She was sure that a majority of the Order still didn't trust her husband. She was going to have to take matters into her own hands, with or without the order. They could tell her that she was too weak and that she needed to stay home and take care of Varius until they were blue in the face, it wasn't going to stop her. She was going to find Draco, no matter what she had to do.

Hermione spent that night at the House of Black; she couldn't face returning to the manner without Draco. She held Varius in her arms and kissed his forehead softly, singing him songs until the both of them fell asleep. Molly touched her shoulder gently to awake her the next morning.

"Breakfast is ready, dear," she said quietly.

"Thank you, Molly," she said as she stretched.

Hermione came downstairs a few minutes later with Varius. She sat down and cradled Varius in her arms. She lost Draco, and she wasn't going to let her son out of her sight. She noticed that Harry was one of the few people that she didn't see at breakfast.

"Where's Harry?" she asked.

"He got the owl to come in for his next level of testing," Remus said simply.

"Oh, I remember how nervous I got toward the end of my lessons," Tonks reminisced, "I could barely eat or sleep until it was all over."

Hermione's heart sunk. Draco should be at his training session, not being held captive by Death Eater's, in fear for his life. The not said that Draco was going to 'be judged for his disloyalty to the Dark Lord'. Hermione shuddered; she could only imagine what that really meant.

"Welcome," said Oliver Wood, "to your Level Four Training Day. After you complete this level, you can do your Level Five examination and complete your certification to become an Auror. Congratulations to everyone who has made it this far. Now, I'm going to pair you off into threes."

Oliver turned his back to the class and began to write the teams and their assignments on the white board. When Oliver wrote, '_Vonburgh - Walker - Malfoy_', it only took a few minutes for Jacob to raise his hand.

"I'll take questions at the end, Vonburgh," Oliver said simply.

"I'm sorry, Sir," Jacob began, "normally I wouldn't interrupt, but Malfoy is missing."

Oliver stopped writing and turned back to look at the class, where he didn't spot Malfoy. He looked up at the clock and noticed that it was already five minutes into the session, and the doors had been locked.

"Anyone know why Draco Malfoy would be late?" Oliver asked, disappointed that such a promising Auror would risk his training and his chance at certification.

Harry debated to himself whether or not he should say something. He could tell Oliver some story about why Draco wasn't there, but everything that was coming to mind seemed so lame. If he told Oliver that he believed that Draco had been kidnapped, it would bring too much attention to the Order. Harry decided to keep his mouth shut.

After a long pause, Oliver picked up a clipboard and said, "Alright, then. Draco Malfoy is no show to his level four training," making a note of it in his file.

"We're going to begin today's lesson with giving you large quantities of Veritaserum, without any food or water. If you are ever being interrogated by Death eaters, they won't be afraid to pour this down your throat until you vomit. Then they'll give you some more. They figure they'll put so much of it into your bloodstream there's no way you can fight it. They won't care whether you live or die afterwards, just as long as you stay alive long enough for them to get some information out of you. Now, let's begin."

Harry came home that night and slowly dragged himself up to his bed, where he collapsed. His head was pounding, his stomach was in knots from all the Veritaserum he had consumed, and he still had a slight urge to tell everyone everything he was thinking at the moment, which wasn't much more than how comfortable his bed felt to him. Harry soon drifted into an uneasy sleep.

_Harry walked into a large house and put his cloak on the coat rack. _

_"Hermione..." Harry called, his voice echoing within the large house._

_"I'm the kitchen with Remus," came Hermione's voice in response, her voice reaching the entrance hall where Harry hung his cloak and then kicked off his shoes. _

_Harry entered the kitchen expecting to find Hermione and Remus. He did find Hermione, but there was a toddler sitting in a high chair eating pieces of carrot. _

_"How was work?" she asked, placing a pan on the stove. __"Awful, seven raids last night. Ron and I are up to our elbows in paperwork, I hate paperwork. I'd have Seamus do it, but he's already backed up from the last raid when we sent eight Death Eaters to Azkaban." _

_Harry didn't knew where these words were coming from, it was as if they had already been written, and he was just a puppet doing its masters will. __Harry took a seat on one of the kitchen bar stools and looked outside onto the vast grounds that they could call their "backyard." The lot seemed very familiar to him, as if he had lived there before, but when? _

_"I'm so glad Ron found somebody," Hermione said, putting her arms around him, bringing him out of his thoughts. _

_"Me too," he said, "and I'm glad I've found someone as well," reaching for Hermione's lips, catching her in a kiss that was quickly growing in intensity. _

Harry woke abruptly from the dream, covered in sweat. _What a weird dream_, he thought to himself. _Why would I dream about being married to Hermione and having a child? Everything seemed so real, so natural. _He spent the next several minute confused, before a flood of memories came rushing back to him. He remembered the Draco had been killed by Lucius before they even graduated from Hogwarts. Lucius being sent to Azkaban. Harry and Hermione raising her and Draco's child together. Lucius escaping from Azkaban and coming to their home. Lucius…killing Harry. _I died? No, that's impossible. Was it?_ Harry didn't know what was going on. Perhaps it was just a very intense dream, or the potion was having some odd effect on him.

Harry rose from bed and went downstairs to grab himself some coffee. He wasn't going to be able to sleep anymore tonight, so he might as well get any early start on the day. He checked his watch. It was three in the morning; he still had about two hours until sunrise. He made himself some coffee and then stepped out into the patio to enjoy. The night air swept through his hair, chilling his body. He almost dropped when he realized that someone was already sitting at the patio table, Hermione.

"What are you doing out here alone, Hermione? It's dangerous! Especially with everything that's going on…"

"So it's okay for you to come out here by yourself at three o'clock in the morning, because you're a man?"

"Don't turn this around on me. Hermione, is everything alright?"

"No, Harry. My husband is missing and I have no idea who took him, why would anything be okay?" Hermione asked, fighting back the tears.

Harry sat down beside her and wrapped an arm around her.

"Hermione, don't get mad about me for asking you this, but do you think Draco could have been in involved with something or someone, and for whatever reason, didn't tell you about it?"

"Honestly, Harry, I have no idea. I know my husband is a good man and he's been taken by the Death Eaters. It's probably because he betrayed them for me when he killed his father. How can I forgive myself for that?"

"Hermione, none of this is your fault. But I actually did want to talk to you about the night that Lucius died."

"Why?" Hermione asked, horrified that she would ever have to relive that night again.

"Well, I just want to know what you remember about it," Harry said.

The two of them sat in silence for a few moments while Hermione thought, her face scrunched in concentration.

"Actually," she admitted, "I don't remember that much about that night at all. I had such a difficult pregnancy that I don't remember a whole lot that happened. My memory gets better around the time that Narcissa passed away," Hermione said somberly.

"How convenient," muttered Harry.

"What?" Hermione asked, not making out what Harry said.

"Don't you find that a bit odd?" Harry asked.

"I suppose, but I had never given it much thought. Actually, now that I think about, Sirius made some weird comment about it when we danced together at my wedding."

"Hermione," Harry said, searching for the right way to phrase this, "did you ever remember… a different life?"

"What do you mean?" Hermione asked, slightly confused.

"I mean, do you ever remember things happening differently in the chamber? Like Lucius killing Draco instead of the either way around? You naming your child Remus? Us raising him together?"

"STOP!" Hermione shouted before Harry could ask anymore questions, "I don't know what you're trying to do, but please, don't!"

"But, Hermione…"

"No! We're done talking, Harry," she said, rising from her seat and slamming the door behind her.

Harry knew that based on Hermione's reaction the same things had been bothering her and she was just too afraid to tell Harry. He was determined to get to the bottom of Draco's disappearance and the weird dreams, one way or another.

In the midst of the challenges the Order of the Phoenix and its members were facing, Nymphadora Tonks was trying to plan her wedding to Remus Lupin. Their wedding was approaching in two days, and she still had so much to do. She would have loved to ask Hermione for her help, as she had just held her own wedding only weeks ago but Tonks knew that the pain would be too much for her.

To Nymphadora's shock, Hermione offered to help her make the final arrangements. She assumed that perhaps Molly had spoken to Hermione about Tonks' nervousness. She took comfort in realizing that it might take Hermione's mind off of her missing husband.

"We're keeping it very small, Remus is a simple man. Besides, with the way everything is going…I think the members of the Order should lay low for a while."

"Yeah, I understand. I suppose Molly is taking care of food, then?" Hermione asked.

"Yes, she's been so great with great for the wedding,"

"How is Remus doing?"

"I think he's getting his old feelings of insecurities back. He's starting to think that maybe I'm making a mistake by marrying him. That I deserve someone younger and wealthy."

"Remus has always been a humble man, but I'm sure that once you're married his nervousness will go away."

"Thanks, Hermione. I'm sure it will too."

"And you've got your wedding party?" Hermione asked.

"Well, Sirius is going to be the best man, of course. I think that Bill and Harry are going to be the groom's men. Ginny is my maid of honor, and I know I've waited so long to ask, but I was hoping that you'd be my bride's maid."

Hermione smiled, "I'd love to Tonks, thank you."

"Great! Ginny took care of a lot of things for me too. Getting the cake, setting up the backyard. She said I'm not even allowed to go out there until the wedding!"

"Yeah, I was wondering why she was boarding up all the windows," Hermione said, laughing.

Ginny joined them later and the three of them stayed up into the early hours of the morning makes the final preparations for the wedding. Nymphadora had no idea that there would be this much to do for such a small wedding, but the Order was apparently larger that she had realized. Ginny wanted to make this the day of Nymphadora's dreams. It was still her wedding, whether it was in a large cathedral or in the backyard behind 12 Grimmauld Place.

Hermione waited patiently for Sirius and Ginny, the best man and maid of honor, to join hands and walk down the aisle together. Bill paired off with his wife Fleur, naturally, and she was left standing with Harry in awkward silence. Harry offered his arm out and Hermione took it, but she still refused to say anything. Hermione was still infuriated with him for accusing her husband of disloyalty, but she kept her tongue because this day belonged to Remus and 'Dora, and nobody else. They reached the end of the aisle and parted their ways, taking their respective places.

The guests turned in their seats to see Nymphadora enter the garden. For her wedding she had chosen to wear her hair long and blonde. Her father, Ted, offered her arm and escorted her to the altar, where he gave her to Remus, they were both beaming. They joined hands and turned to the same man that had married Hermione and Draco. Hermione's stomach lurched. Here she was all dressed up; watching Remus and Tonks getting married, and she had no idea where he husband was. _Probably down in some dungeon, getting tortured, _she thought to herself as she hide her face in the bouquet, pretending to smell the roses. It was the only thing she could do to hide her tears.

She heard Varius give a small cry from the crowd, and saw Molly cradle him in her arms. She could feel piercing eyes burning into her. She felt angry that people were judging her instead of watching the happy couple get married.

"Remus John Lupin," the ministry official began, "you will repeat after me. Nymphadora Tonks, with this ring, I thee wed. To have and to hold, from this day forward, for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness or in health, to love and to cherish 'till death do us part. And hereto I pledge you my faithfulness."

Remus repeated the wizard's words and slipped a small silver band onto Nymphadora's finger. Hermione knew that Remus probably secretly wished he could give her more, but Tonks was smiling wider than Hermione had ever seen her.

The man looked to her and she repeated the same binding words and slipped a matching band on Remus' ring finger.

Hermione had to look away as Mr. and Mrs. Lupin, as they had just been announced as, shot their sparks into the air. She was overcome with joy for Remus, who had at last found happiness, and the pain of not having Draco by her side. She didn't linger long for the reception because she knew that Harry wanted to talk to her, which was simply something that she couldn't handle right now. She thanked Molly for watching Varius during the ceremony, and made her way to the fireplace to get back home. She could see Sirius, still in his best dress robes, making his way toward her. He probably wanted to tell her that he had been right about Draco, that his disappearance confirmed it. Her husband's loyalty was not something she wanted to talk about with anyone at the moment, and she quickly dropped the powder into the flames, which turned a bright green.

"Malfoy Manor!" Hermione shouted, and she was gone before Sirius could reach the fireplace.


	9. Leave No Man Behind

**A/N: **Hello, loyal readers! As most of you know, I haven't updated a chapter since Deathly Hallows came out, CRAZY, I know! Well, here we are, about 7 months later and eagerly awaiting Half Blood Prince, THIS November! Anyway, as a more personal update, I'm moving to Anaheim next month because I've been accepted into the Disney College Program. The next six weeks of packing and moving are going to be ABSOLUTELY insane, but I'm going to TRY MY BEST to complete this part before I move, as "Unto the End, Into the Beginning" does have one more chapter. As the title suggests, part three will indeed create a new beginning for many of our characters. So, to recap from last chapter (as it was so long ago), Draco went missing, Remus and Tonks got married (like I said, my story follows very little of JK's plot line), and Hermione is having a tough time accepting her husband's disappearance, let's hope she doesn't do anything _drastic. _Please R/R, I'm going to base whether or not I do a part 3 on that!

**Unto the End, Into the Beginning**

**Chapter Nine: "Leave No Man Behind…"**

"Well," said Oliver, "this is it everyone, your level five training. After you make it through this, it's your final examination and certification. Now, this is set up a little differently from your other training. You've been focusing mostly in teams, but this is an individual examination. We're going to call a few of you out at a time and lead you into separate rooms. We're calling you out alphabetically, so those of you farther back in the alphabet can relax for a while. I wish I could tell you more, but this exercise is going to test what you've learned so far, and how well you do when you're caught off guard in a difficult situation. I'm afraid I can't take questions, either." Oliver added, thinking this would calm the chatter that had started among the students.

"Is it true?" Neville asked.

"Well, yeah" replied Seamus, "It's on the front page of the prophet!"

"Who do you think did it?" Jacob asked.

"What's this all about, then?" Oliver said loudly, walking to Seamus, who was holding the Prophet open wide enough for the five or six people surrounding him to read.

"Blimey…" was all Oliver could manage to say.

"_**NEWLYWED AND FATHER PRESUMED DEAD"**_

_It is with much regret that this reporter writes this article today. Recently, this reporter obtained information from a very reliable source that Draco Malfoy, new husband to Hogwarts Alumni Hermione Granger, and father to Varius Damian Malfoy, is dead. Young Malfoy was kidnapped from his Manor two weeks ago. The Dark Mark was left high in the sky for all to see, and a staff member was left dead. No body has been found and Aurors currently have no suspect in this murder. No one from the Ministry was available for comment. _

_Draco Malfoy attended Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, and graduated with high honors. He also served as Head Boy during his seventh year. He was continuing his education with the Ministry, and would have completed his Auror training next month. His classmates include former Hogwarts students Harry Potter, Ronald Weasley and Seamus Finnigan. No efforts have been made to locate Mister Malfoy, which further supports this reporter's idea that he is in fact dead. _

_This comes as a great loss to Draco's new wife, child, and friends. He had a promising career in his future, and I'm sure would have seen great success in business, which he inherited from his father. It is a tragedy that such a young life has been cut short. This reporter wonders if Lord Voldemort's followers are behind this, and whether or not Harry Potter will ever be able to put a stop to his killings once and for all. The staff's condolences go out to the new Mrs. Malfoy._

"Abbott, Marcus, Alabaster, James and Bones, Susan…you're up first." Oliver; whose mood had changed considerably since reading the article, announced. The three of them stood up and left in silence.

"There's got to be something we can do!" Jacob half-shouted. The news was clearly affecting him the most, as he and Draco had quickly become friends in the program.

"What CAN we do? They say he's dead." Seamus offered.

"We don't know that for sure." Jacob shot back.

"Well, maybe we should send out a search party."

"Don't you think the Ministry's got certified Aurors handling that?"

"Obviously not," Jacob spat, "I think it's going to be up to us! Remember what Draco always said? Leave no man behind! He would go looking for one of us; we should do the same for him…."

The room sat in silence until Wood came back in and called for "Bruckheimer, Jerry, Connor, Jim, and Davies, Roger.

"Well, I suppose after we finish our training today, we can go and look for him…"

"Will we be back in time for our final examination?"

"I can't believe how selfish you guys are being!" Jacob interrupted, "there will be plenty of times to take the exam, but we don't know how much longer Draco has to live if he has been kidnapped. We need to talk to his wife and then gather as many people as we can and head out to search for him based on what information we can gather. Harry?"

Harry jumped quickly as if someone had jabbed him sharply. He had been silent until Jacob drew him into the conversation. Harry didn't say anything, he only looked up at him.

"Harry, you're best friends with Hermione, aren't you? You could help us!" Jacob pleaded.

Before Harry could answer, Oliver entered the room again. "Dawson, Michelle, Edwards, Tom and Finnigan, Seamus."

"Yeah," said Harry reluctantly, "of course, right after training."

Much to Harry's relief, this seemed good enough for Jacob and he quickly went back talking to other students about where and how they would look for him.

Time seemed to have stopped. It felt like each group of students was talking longer than the last. Harry quickly lifted his head from his desk, only now realizing that he had dozed off when Oliver again opened the door. Apparently, he had been napping for sometime because Oliver called for "Lexington, Maxwell, Loxen, Charlene, and Mal…er, Nixon, Samuel."

Harry's heart sank from hearing Oliver begin to say Draco's name. Yes, Harry hated him, but this was tearing Hermione apart, and that's why it was so hard for him. He tried to push everything about Hermione and Draco into the back of his mind, however, because Harry knew that he'd be in the next group. It seemed like another hour had passed before Oliver returned once again and called for Olens, Kevin, Potter, Harry and Richardson, Naomi.

"Alright, Potter," began an Auror whom Harry had never met before, "You'll only be allowed your wand. If you use anything else, you'll automatically be disqualified and dropped back down to level four, understand?" the Auror questioned, and Harry nodded eagerly. "Good, you'll be going through an obstacle course, always have your wand at the ready, and be prepared for _anything_, got that Potter?" Harry nodded again and the man patted him on the back, opened up a door, and shoved him through it. Harry felt the door slam behind him.

"Lumos!" Harry shouted, and as the room was flooded with light, he realized that the room was at least four times larger than he had been anticipating. Several tables, mirrors and contraptions sat on tables throughout the room, each with a number enchanted to float above them. Harry took a deep breath and went to the first task. He read the card that was lying on the table,

_Many death eaters come to know Aurors by physical appearance, characteristics, and voice. Many skilled Aurors have become the targets of Death Eaters. You must avoid having your identity compromised at all times. _

Harry noticed several small vials of potions sitting beside the note, each a different color. He remembered studying the properties of different potions, many similar to Polyjuice Potion. He hesitated for a moment, picked up the purple potion, and emptied the bottle in one gulp. He felt an odd tingling sensation, and he instantly knew that he had made the right choice.

"Blonde," he said pointing his wand to his hair. He chose blue eyes and attempted to darken his skin, but didn't see much of an improvement. He lengthened his nose slightly and felt the tingling sensation start to die down.

He quickly went to the next task and stood in front of a mirror. Harry thought he looked very different, and was rather pleased with himself until he realized he had forgotten to hide something, his _scar_. Everyone would always be able to tell it was Harry if he didn't hide his scar; he kicked himself for his stupidity. He was sure they were going to dock him points for this. Harry also mentally kicked himself for making his appearance very similar to _Malfoys._ Unfortunately, he was sure this was his conscience's way of telling him to find Draco.

Each new task took longer to complete than the last. Harry was growing rather tired by the time he reached the black door at the end of the room. It had no handles, grooves, keyholes or any other kind of indication that this door would open, but Harry knew better. He felt a bone-chilling gust of wind wash over him. He was suddenly very cold, and all the happiness was leaving his body. There was a Dementor on the other side of the door, and Harry had to get rid of him.

"Alohamora!" Harry shouted, but the door didn't even budge. Harry ran his fingers down the door, trying to trigger some invisible way of entry. All warmth had completely left his body now, and he staggered away from the door. He blasted a large whole through the door and the Dementor was floating above him within seconds, trying to suck out Harry's soul. Normally in this situation, he would think of seeing his parents again. Yet, strangely enough, something else filled his mind for the first time. He was sitting on the couch with Hermione and they were holding their son. Harry felt happiness and yelled, "Expecto Patronum!"

The Dementor retreated, and the lights came back on. Harry still felt a little dizzy as he walked back into the briefing room to receive his final score. Harry sat down and looked around; he imagined most of the other cadets were feeling the same as he did. He looked around the room for Ron, but didn't see him.

"Hey Harry," said Seamus, "they just came and got Ron and Jacob. After they're done, we're gonna round up some more students and go looking for Draco."

"Seamus, why are you going? We both went to school with Draco, didn't we? You hated the Malfoys just as much as I did."

"I know, but after what happened last year….I mean, he had to kill his own father, Harry. He was abusive, and who knows what else he did. The fact that Draco's come this far to be an Auror, get married and have a kid and then just split? Something's not right here, Harry. Harry? Are you listening?" Seamus questioned, nudging Harry slightly.

"Yeah, yeah, I'm listening. I have somewhere we can meet."

"Great, thanks Harry."

Harry only nodded.

_Hermione screamed as Harry came crashing through the door; glass scattering everywhere. Lucius loomed over him, shouting, "Look at the famous Harry Potter now, reduced to a quivering child! I shall have pleasure in killing each and every one of you." _

_Hermione clutched Remus to her chest and began to walk backwards slowly. Harry scooted backwards as Lucius approached him. His leg felt numb and looking down at it, he saw a large, sharp piece of glass sticking out of it. He looked to Hermione, who seemed to be frozen where she stood, and ordered her to leave. He couldn't move, but he had to hold Lucius off somehow, at least long enough for them to escape. He pulled the large piece of glass out of his own leg, cringed in pain, and stabbed it into Lucius' leg. This distracted him for a few seconds, long enough for him to shout a warning to Hermione.  
_

_"Hermione get out of here!"  
_

_"No Harry, I love you!"  
_

_"I love you too...now go!"  
_

_"AVADA KEDRAVA!" Lucius bellowed, a flash of green illuminating the dark room._

_"NO!" Hermione screamed, bursting into sobs. _

Hermione jolted awake, drenched in sweat. Why was she having this dream again? She hadn't had that dream since she had been pregnant with Varius, when she felt like her life with Harry and Remus had been so real. She wanted to have dreams about Draco again, hoping that somehow that would help her find him. Draco, wherever he was, was being tortured for something he had down to cross this Perseus Aitor, whoever he was. Over the years, she had heard of several of Voldemort's followers, but never an Aitor. Hermione was determined to find out who this man was, and why he wanted to kill Draco. It had already been a week since Hermione had received the note, why hadn't she received another one? She decided to get up, there was no way she'd be able to go back to sleep now.

She walked to Varius' crib, which she had moved into the bedroom after Draco disappeared, she wasn't going to take any chances with her son. She cradled him softly, and kissed his head. A very thin patch of light blonde hair was beginning to grow in, and she couldn't even look into his bright blue eyes without thinking of Draco. When she was done feeding Varius, she laid him gently into his crib and went to shower; she couldn't wait to look for Draco any longer. It had to be done now.

"Why would you bring them all here?" Remus asked Harry.

"I knew it would be safe here, and we can trust them."

"I wasn't questioning their credibility…"

"They want to help look for Draco. As much as I hate him, I have to agree that it doesn't add up. Or, if I do find him and he has skipped out on Hermione and Varius, I want to be the one that finds him, and make him regret even looking at Hermione in the first place."

Remus sighed, "Alright, but if we go out there and look for Draco, we're going to be running into Death Eaters, maybe even Voldemort, so I want you prepared."

"I am prepared! Remus, you know…"

"Harry, I do not doubt your ability with a wand, or quick thinking. Nevertheless, you never mastered Legilimens and you know how important this is. No one can know what we're doing."

"And you think I'm going to jeopardize that?"

"Well, no. Not intentionally, of course."

"I can handle him."

"Alright, fine. Just humor me then, and let's see how well you've learned Occulumency."

"_Legilimens!" _Remus shouted at Harry without warning, and suddenly he was thinking of his parents, about finding out who Sirius Black was, the first time he kissed Hermione at graduation. He could see himself coming home to her fixing dinner, and kissing Remus on the head. He saw then making love in the moonlight, and Lucius Malfoy breaking into their home. Harry suddenly felt very afraid, as if he had to protect them. Then he felt very cold as he saw Lucius standing over him, laughing, and then everything went dark.

"Harry? Harry?" Lupin gave Harry and quick shake and he came to.

'What happened? How long was I out?"

"I caught you off guard and was able to read your mind, and you were only out about 5 minutes."

"Why did you do that, Remus?"

"To prove to you that you still aren't ready to face him. He'll get inside your head Harry, and he'll make you suffer by exploiting your weaknesses."

"I get the picture, I'll work on it. But we're going to find Draco first, so let's deal with that for now." said Harry, who stood up too quickly and was feeling rather lightheaded.

"Harry?"

"Yeah?"

"I saw something….something that I know never happened. You had a son and a life with Hermione, and Lucius Malfoy killed you."

"What are you talking about?"

"Harry, I know what I saw. Is there something that you aren't telling me?"

"I…it was just a dream. It felt more real to me than any other dream I've had before, but that's all it was. A dream."

Remus nodded, and then left the study and went downstairs. Several members of the order had joined Harry's classmates, and they were having a very heated discussion. Jacob, who was determined to bring his friend home, had taken the lead in organizing where to look.

Hermione knocked on the door of the Burrow until Molly answered.

"Oh, Hermione dear, it's so nice to see you."

Hermione came in and shut the door behind her.

"Is something wrong, dear?"

"Well, yes. I need to go find Draco."

"You shouldn't go by yourself, you need to wait…"

"Molly, it's been two week. I'm done waiting; I _need _to find my husband. I was wondering if you could watch Varius for me while I'm away, I know he'll be safe here."

"Of course, Hermione," Molly said, taking Varius into her arms.

Hermione pulled back the blanket from Varius' face and gently kissed his forehead, "I'll be home with daddy soon, sweetie. I love you."

Molly squeezed Hermione's hand gently and warned, "Be careful dear."

"I will Molly, and thank you."

Hermione waited for the door to shut behind her, and began to sob uncontrollably. She had no idea where she was going to find Draco. Now that she was actually going to look for him, she realized that she had no idea where she was going to look. She pulled the crumpled note out from her pocket, and read it for the hundredth time.

_Mrs. Malfoy -_

_Your husband will pay dearly for his foolishness. We have taken him for judging by the Dark Lord for his disloyalty. We look forward to your feeble attempt to rescue him. It would be our please if Mister Potter accompanied you._

_Perseus Aitor_

She flipped over the paper, already knowing there was nothing on the back. Hermione returned to the manor after stopping off at Gringotts to see if their had been any activity on their account, but there hadn't been any withdrawals since before his disappearance, and there was nothing out of the ordinary. She figured she should start in the library, maybe Draco kept some sort of record of what he had been doing, maybe even other locations of manors. She remembered her first few years at Hogwarts, there had always been that rumor that the Malfoys owned a lot of secret property.

Hermione went into kitchen to pour herself a glass of water before heading up to the library, but nothing came out of the faucet. She turned it off and tried again, but no luck. She went into the downstairs bathroom, and the water wasn't working either. The plumbing had been working just a few hours ago before she left, why wasn't it now? Hermione headed down to the basement to check their water, and felt a chill wash over her. She flipped the light switch on, but she heard a loud, _pop! _and the light went out.

A flick of her wand filled the basement with light, and she walked to the end of the stairs to find where their pipes were. She could hear running water, and that's when she saw a crack in one of the pipes. Water had begun to flood the basement floor, and had made the wall very damp. Hermione pressed her hand against it to feel how much it had damaged to wall. Her hand went straight through the wall and she pulled away. Remembering all the hidden things in the chamber under Hogsmeade, she drug her hand along the wall until she found a crack, and tried to pry it open. She tried a series of passwords, but nothing worked. She looked up at the broken light, and while she found it to be too obvious, pulled on the fixture, which came out of the wall, and part of the wall retracted into itself, revealing a very small and very dusty study.

Hermione knew that it had been here long before they moved into the manor, because not enough time had passed for that much dust to collect. She found an old set of candlesticks, and shot a spark from her wand to light the candle's wick. Hermione picked up the candlestick, and her stomached dropped like it did every time she used floo powder. Everything around her was a blur, but she knew what was happening. She had picked up a portkey, and she was leaving the manor.

Draco didn't know exactly how long it had been since Aitor took him from the manor, but he knew several days had passed by now. He wished he would just come and do his worst already, so Draco could try to escape. He needed to be with Hermione, and Varius. His son was only a few weeks old, hardly enough time for a father and son to know each other. Draco couldn't eat or sleep until he knew what was going on, what they were planning for him. He didn't want to die and leave them alone in this world, but he also didn't want to kill Harry Potter.

_"You're an idiot!" _Draco told himself. After everything he had done to get Hermione back, he couldn't even kill Harry Potter, the boy who had made his life hell for seven years.

_"Why should I kill him? He never killed me, and it was more my father who made my life a living hell, and I sure as hell didn't have any problem killing him."_

-

_Catch me as I fall  
Say you're here and it's all over now  
Speaking to the atmosphere  
No one's here and I fall into myself_

-

"_That was to get Hermione back!" _he shouted into the dark room, justifying himself to no one.

_"And what would Hermione think, if she knew the truth? Would see still love you?"_

-  
_This truth drives me  
Into madness  
I know I can stop the pain  
If I will it all away_

-

Draco began to question the inner voice that was nagging at him. Something wasn't right, he began to wonder who was actually saying those things to him. Somehow, he knew Aitor has behind all of this. Draco jolted upright when he heard the door handle jiggle and saw three men in hooded capes enter the dungeon.

-

_Don't turn away  
(Don't give in to the pain)  
Don't try to hide  
(Though they're screaming your name)  
Don't close your eyes  
(God knows what lies behind them)  
Don't turn out the light  
(Never sleep never die)_

-

Draco tried to free his hands, but the ropes only bound him tighter. The man in the middle kicked Draco from his chair. Another took his foot to Draco's stomach. The three of them began to beat and kick Draco's head, stomach and legs.

_"Crucio!" _One of them bellowed, and Draco felt as if a thousand knives were piercing his entire body. Draco, humiliated, good do nothing to fight back. He could taste blood in his mouth, and his vision began to blur. He only thought of when he would see his wife and son again.

_  
-_

_I'm frightened by what I see  
But somehow I know  
That there's much more to come  
Immobilized by my fear  
And soon to be  
Blinded by tears  
I can stop the pain  
If I will it all away_

_-  
_

Draco allowed himself to think that if made if through this torture, his punishment would be served. But deep down, Draco knew better. He had refused to pay his debt to the man who had given him a second chance at life, and a family…and now, he was here to collect.

The third man drew a large dagger from his pocket, but that last thing he had on his mind was cutting rope. He used it to tear the shirt from Draco's back and made several deep cuts that drenched his back in crimson.

Draco did his best to keep from screaming in pain, but even wincing made the three men laugh victoriously at him. Draco began to feel very dizzy, and for the first time in his life, he was afraid. He certainly wasn't afraid of, mostly because he had encountered it before. He was afraid that he had lost Hermione and Varius for good, and there wasn't going to be anything he could do about it this time. __

Fallen angels at my feet  
Whispered voices at my ear  
Death before my eyes  
Lying next to me I fear  
She beckons me  
Shall I give in  
Upon my end shall I begin  
Forsaking all I've fallen for  
I rise to meet the end

-


	10. The Unbreakable Vow

A/N: Yes, it's been forever since I posted Chapter Nine of this story, but my life has been absolutely crazy. I've been a Disney College Program Intern since June, yaya! Anyway, this is the FINAL chapter Unto the End, Into the Beginning, which is the sequel to "A Winter's Kiss". I'm sure I'll begin work on Part 3 shortly, as I always imagined it as a three part series. Man, I'm getting emotional; I've been working on this story for so long (and it's finally somewhere I could leave it)!

Anyway, Hermione has left Varius with Mrs. Weasley, and set off to find Harry. Meanwhile, Draco's classmates are making plans of their own. Can Draco defeat Aitor? Can Harry defeat Voldemort? Will Draco and Hermione EVER be reunited? Please don't die from the suspense because then this chapter won't have reviews!

Oh, as per the usual all characters and places are property of JK Rowling and Warner Bros, but the story is mine. "Keeping Holding On" lyrics belong to Avril Lavigne, and the inscription at the end was written by "Ministry of Magic", an amazingly awesome WROCK BAND

Unto the End, Into the Beginning

Chapter Ten: _The Unbreakable Vow_

_By Egyptian Angel _

Hermione hadn't traveled by portkey in ages, and she suddenly remembered why. A flash of colors swirled before her eyes, and the longer she was spinning, the farther away she was moving from the manor. She landed hard on a cold dungeon floor. She stood up and for a moment thought she was in the Hogwarts dungeons, and then realized that would be wishful thinking. For some reason, the sight of this place scared her more than anywhere else she had ever been. She looked around slowly but saw no one, and when the flame from the candle went out, she was in complete darkness. Hermione knew this must be where Perseus Aitor was holding Draco, they had kidnapped him through a portkey, but had they meant to leave it behind for her to follow? She remembered the note;_ We look forward to your feeble attempt to rescue him. It would be our pleasure if Mister Potter accompanied you._

Hermione became very aware that she was alone, with no way to get word out to Harry or anyone else, and Aitor was no doubt expecting her. He was probably having a good laugh over how long it took her to find Draco. She heard a shuffle of feet and hid behind the closest wall, using the darkness as her ally.

"Why aren't they coming? They should be here to try to rescue him by now…what could be keeping them?" Aitor asked, impatience in his voice.

"There is a rumor, my lord, that Potter is gathering a team of Auror trainees." Pettigrew beamed, very pleased with himself to be the one to tell his master this.

It took all of Hermione's self control to not come out from behind the wall and kill Pettigrew where he stood for he was always there during the worst times in her life.

"Academy students? How excellent, this will be easier than I thought. What about his wife and child? Nothing was left behind at the house, was there? They must come in through the south entrance…"

"Oh, no sir. When they attack it will be the south side," Pettigrew assured him.

Hermione realized that Aitor didn't know the Portkey had been left behind, but she still had no way of letting Harry know to not come in through the south entrance, as she was sure something horrible would be there to greet them. It was all up to her know, she had to find Draco and get out of here in time to warn the others. How she was going to find Draco, however, was now her greatest challenge.

Hermione waited until she could no longer hear their footsteps before she stepped out from behind the wall.

"Lumos" she muttered softly, keeping her hand over the light so it could be distinguished quickly and not seen from a great distance. As she walked further down the hall, she realized that all the doors were made of steel. They all had black numbers and little barred windows to look into. Draco had to be in one of these rooms, but how may were there? How many prisoners was this evil man keeping?

Hermione had peered into over twenty doors before she found the vision from her nightmares. A man, tied to a chair by his hands and feet, hunched over in pain. He was blindfolded and his clothing was torn, it was Draco. Hermione had no idea how she had dreamt this all before, how she had seen into the future, when she didn't even believe in Divination. She suddenly wondered how powerful Aitor really was, if he had put those visions in her mind to torment her.

"Alohamora," she muttered, but nothing happened. Hermione knew it wouldn't be that simple, but she had to try. Then she realized that there wasn't a lock on the door at all, and it was probably password protected. She tried stroking and tickling the door like a Goblin at Gringotts, but it remained still.

Hermione cursed in frustration, and flicked the light from her wand; this was going to take longer than she had hoped. It was then she thought of Varius, and how right Harry had been. She should have stayed home and protected him, but she had selfishly gone to Draco, and now he could be orphaned.

"Varius…" she whispered softly, yearning to see him one last time if this were to be her last night alive. Hermione then heard several clicks, over a dozen in fact, and she suddenly became very worried that someone was going to hear and catch her before she made it into the room to Draco.

Forty-two men stood before Harry. His eyes passed over every single one of them before he spoke. Over half of them were the classmates he had been training with, and the other men had spent their years defending their freedom in the Order of the Phoenix.

"Draco is missing, but this isn't just about him anymore. What if this was your loved one? Your husband or wife? Your brother or sister? What if it was your child, or your best friend? Voldemort and his Death Eaters come in the night, attacking and taking people as they please. It's us whose got to stop them, or we'll never be free. Our loved ones will never be safe until his followers are gone. Jacob and Oliver have worked up a pretty good plan based on the little information we've got. The ministry thinks that Voldemort has been hiding out in the old Slytherin castle in Rome... so that's where we're headed. Coming in from the south side is going to be our best shot, because that's where…"

"You'll meet your death if approach the south blind," a harsh voice informed Harry, sending chills down most of his classmates' spines. However, the voice was all too familiar to Harry.

"Snape," he said, Harry's eyes narrowed as he turned to face his former Professor.

"I suppose you know a better approach then, do you?"

"A blueprint of the Slytherin Castle is utterly useless," he said, throwing the plans from the table, "the staircases change more often that the ones at Hogwarts. The paintings will cry out the instant they spot an intruder and the enchanted knights will gladly kill you for a thrill. The rooms change floors every year or so, and sometimes a hallway can change destinations before you reach the end."

The Order members were unafraid of Snape, but some of Harry's friends shifted uncomfortably where they stood.

"We're not in Potions anymore, Snape, so we don't need your lectures."

"Have it your way, Potter. But enter Slytherin castle from the south side, and it'll be the last mistake you'll ever make," said Snape calmly as he turned his back to the room and headed to the door.

"Wait!" Jacob called as he moved to the front of the crowd, "what do you know about the castle?"

"I know that you're best bet is to enter from the North. I've been to this castle before. Sure, the south entrance looks inviting from far away. There are large decorative glass windows without curtains, lights beckoning you in. But as you come closer, something pulls you through the glass, and it doesn't even break. You'll be trapped in mazes and rooms until you've been driven crazy with frustration and yearn for death…"

"And from the north?" Seamus asked.

The north will provide you the only shelter possible. Land on the roof and climb down to the ledge. Alohamora the windows, and you're in…"

"That seems a little too simple," Harry said.

"Precisely, it's the guest entrance. Now if you'll excuse me, I have an errand to attend to…" Snape was gone as quickly as he had come, with a twirl of his black cape and the click of his boots.

"Draco?" she whispered softly, approaching the man slumped over in his chair with caution. His head rose immediately after hearing her voice, and after she removed his blindfold, he looked at her in confusion.

"No," he said firmly, "it's a trick."

"Draco, its really me. I don't know what they've done to you here, but I've got to get you out…"

"You're not really Hermione." He said stubbornly.

She looked into his eyes for a brief moment, how she had missed looking into those eyes, and then kissed him forcefully. Within seconds his body relaxed and he ached to be free, to be with Hermione.

"You shouldn't have come," he said, as soon as their lips had broken apart.

" I know," she said, "Now let's get you out of these chains." Hermione lifted her wand to free him when it flew out of her hands. Confused, Hermione turned around and came face to face with a man she could only assume was Perseus Aitor.

"I don't think you or Draco will be going anywhere, ever again. Perhaps I over estimated you, what a feeble rescue attempt. Did you even have a plan of escape?" he asked Hermione.

"What are you talking about? Who are you?" Hermione asked, already knowing the answer.

Aitor decided to ignore Hermione's question and turn his attention to Draco, "You must know Draco, that when I kill you, you won't be coming back from the dead this time. " Aitor's piercing laugh echoed throughout the chamber. Hermione's look of confusion and horror only made his laugh deepen.

"What do you mean, 'this time'?" Hermione said louder.

"Allow me to introduce myself properly, Mrs. Malfoy. My name is Perseus Aitor, and you should fear me worse than you're silly muggle devil."

"Draco's made some kind of deal with you, hasn't he?"

"The Dark Lord is very smart to eliminate you, you truly are a bright witch."

"Say anything else and I'll kill you, Aitor!"

Hermione jumped when she heard Draco's hoarse voice, it was the first time he had spoken since Aitor had entered the room, and she had almost forgotten he was there.

"I did always admire your determination, Draco. Not many men would dare to threaten me, let alone while they're in chains. But I'll respect your wishes, I'd much rather have you tell your wife about our little arrangement."

"Draco, what is he talking about?"

"I broke a deal, that's all. I can fix this Hermione."

"Ha! You stupid boy, this fate has been written for years…"

It was then Hermione thought of the prophecy, and what Snape has said to her in their seventh year,

_"The fact that you and Draco, a muggle born and a pureblood, were chosen as Head Boy and Head Girl this year, is not a coincidence, Miss Granger."_

_"You're referring to the prophecy," she said._

_"There are some wizards who are powerful enough to control even the founders' minds." Snape replied._

_"You mean there's someone greater than the founders?"_

_"I didn't say that you have to be greater. All that's necessary is a different kind of power."_

"It was you!" Hermione screamed in shock and rage, " You made the Sorting Hat choose Draco and I for Head Boy and Head Girl, you made it sing that song about the prophecy. The blood, on the wall…"

"Yes, yes, all my work, thank you. But that was just merely the beginning, you see…I had a much bigger purpose for the two of you."

"You'll never touch Varius!" Draco shouted, struggling in his chains as Aitor hit him with the cruciatus curse.

"Stop! Stop now!" Hermione begged. Aitor smiled and lowered his hand as Draco slumped over in his chair. Hermione checked his pulse to make sure he was still breathing.

"What do you want with my son?" Hermione demanded.

"I wasn't making up the prophecy, it does exist and it will be fulfilled. Your heir will have the knowledge, strength and bravery to force this world into submission. With the right training, he will be more powerful than the Dark Lord himself…"

"I still don't see how Draco is in your debt. You can't have our child!"

"Patience, Hermione. Now I'm getting to the good part," Aitor said as he flicked his wand and raised Draco's head, "I want you coherent for this, Malfoy," Aitor hissed.

"I'm sure you remember the night in the chamber…No, Hermione, it wasn't a dream. You see, I cursed Draco when he was just an infant, condemning him to death when he found his true love, unless he submitted to a life of service. When he refused to be marked, I had to be sure to get his heir first. He thought he was so clever, trying to lengthen your pregnancy to hide it from us. He couldn't fool me, and Lucius murdered him…"

"I remember," Hermione admitted, no longer being able to deny it, "I had my son in the forest. I named him Remus and raised him with Harry. Lucius escaped from Azkaban and killed Harry and my son."

"Yes, a most unfortunate turn of events. I had been quite content with Potter raising your son, he would teach him how to fly and other great skills until I came to take him. But then Lucius went and messed everything up, and I was forced to fix it. You see, Hermione, I am what your kind would call the devil. I have the power to take life and reverse death as I see fit. So, I made a deal with young Draco, here…"

"Hermione, I…" Draco began.

"Silence!" Aitor bellowed, his voice again filling the chamber, "You had your chance, so it's my turn to tell this story…"

"I don't believe you, how did you pull all of this off?"

"I am a very powerful being, Mrs. Malfoy. But I agree, all those memory charms were time consuming, turning back time a few years is a very tricky and tiring task…much more complicated than a flew clicks of a time turner…"

Hermione shifted uncomfortably at his mention of a time turner, had long had he been watching her?

"That's why in exchange for Draco's happy little life with you, he would become my servant and hand over Varius when he was of Hogwarts age."

"I had to Hermione, to be with you again! I never had any intentions of giving our son to this man; I just needed some time to make a plan! Lucius had killed Potter and our son, I had to make things right!"

"By making an unbreakable vow? And promising our son to this…monster?" Hermione's voice quivered as she fought back her tears.

"I was very generous in allowing him to witness his son's birth," Varius said, recapturing Hermione's attention, "I even let him marry you and have a little honeymoon. But when the time came for him to serve me, he refused…"

"What was his task?" Hermione demanded.

"Hermione, no, please!"

"What was his task?" Hermione asked again.

"To deliver Potter to the Dark Lord!"

Hermione knew in that moment, her husband truly had become an honorable man, and nothing would ever push him to the dark side. No one could deny that now, once they knew the truth. He enrolled in the Auror Academy and refused to hand over Harry Potter to Voldemort, even if it resulted in his own death.

For the first time since Hermione had entered Draco's cell, she thought of Harry and his planned attack. She hoped against all odds that they would come in any entrance but the south side and surprise the Death Eaters waiting for them. Something in the pit of her stomach told her they were engaged in a fierce battle.

"And so for his failure, he will die. Your son will be raised by the Dark Lord and you will be left to rot with Potter and Weasley."

"You'll never find Varius!" Hermione screamed.

"If you honestly thought the Burrow was a safe place to keep him, you're loosing your wits. I've sent one of my best to collect the child and kill everyone else."

"No!" Hermione shouted, internally cursing herself for how selfish she had been to leave Varius with Molly and Ginny.

"Expelliarmus!" someone shouted from outside the door, and loud thud could be heard as someone's wand hit the floor. It made Hermione very aware that her own wand was safely tucked away in Aitor's robes, and she had no way of getting it back. Hermione could see a small twinkle of fear in Aitor's eyes as more shouting could be heard.

"Impossible," he muttered. Not waiting for the hallway intruders to make their way inside. He grabbed Hermione and Draco's wrists and with a pop, they were gone.

Draco landed on the floor with a thud; Hermione was shocked to see that he had been apparated while still tied to his chair.

"Your friends will never find us here," Aitor said with a smirk, "and Varius should be joining us soon."

"You'll never win, Aitor."

"I already have, Hermione. Your heir will be mine, and you and that pathetic Order of yours will be too. Yes, the Dark Lord will be most pleased.

"You're pathetic, Aitor! You can reverse death and take life and you're still serving Voldemort!"

"How dare you say his name, Mudblood! I don't answer to him, we're partners. Believe me, our dealings are always mutually beneficial!"

"He has a following you'll never have…"

"And what would you know about followings and power? Your order has failed you! They let your husband be kidnapped, didn't bother to come with you to save him, and did so little to protect your child, he's been taken as well.

Hermione swallowed hard. The last thing she wanted was to let Aitor know he was right.

Harry sighed a breath of relief, as Neville was the forty-second person to land beside him on the roof, they had all made the journey safely. They had the darkness as their ally, but Harry was positive the Death Eaters would know this castle extremely well, which put their group at a large disadvantage. He signaled for Sirius to lead the team down the pipes, onto the ledge, and through the large windows where they would enter the Castle and begin their attack. Harry was the last to enter the castle; the other's waiting for him in silence. They made it safely through the hallway and down the stairs. Harry's experience told him that everyone was always in the basement, or the dungeons, or whatever the lowest part of the dwelling was.

"Intruders!" a man in a black cloak shouted before sending red sparks in their direction. With one flick of Sirius' wand, he was on the ground in a full body bind. Unfortunately, the damage had already been done. They heard a thunderous stampede making its way up the stairs towards them, the darkness masking whatever was approaching them.

"Formations!" Harry cried as they reached the first landing, "Stand your ground!"

_You're not alone _

_Together we stand _

_I'll be by your side; you know I'll take your hand _

_When it gets cold _

_And it feels like the end _

_There's no place to go _

_You know I won't give in _

_No I won't give in _

Spells and curses off every color passed throughout the room in every direction, hooded figures dodging everything they could. Harry wanted to get through them quickly, for Voldemort to show himself so Harry could destroy him and this would all be over. He thought of Hermione, and hoped she was safe wherever she was. He couldn't let the last time he saw have ended in a fight. Harry's thoughts were interrupted as a trail of green brushed his ear and hit a hooded figure in the chest, sending him to the floor. Harry only stayed long enough to make sure he didn't get back up. Jacob stopped a death eater dead in his tracks just before he attacked Ron from behind. Ron nodded thanks to him and pushed forward to find Harry.

_Keep holding on _

_'Cause you know we'll make it through, we'll make it through _

_Just stay strong _

_'Cause you know I'm here for you, I'm here for you _

_There's nothing you could say _

_Nothing you could do _

_There's no other way when it comes to the truth _

_So keep holding on _

_'Cause you know we'll make it through, we'll make it through _

Hermione jumped as part of the wall opened up, only offering a temporary reprieve from the darkness Aitor had left them in. She could hear two sets of footsteps now, and she squeezed Draco's hand gently.

"Lumos!" Aitor yelled. He flicked his wand at several torches, and light flooded the room. Hermione had to keep herself from screaming when she saw Snape standing beside Aitor, but a small gasp escaped her lips before she could stop herself.

"Yes, Hermione. Your former Professor is actually a very loyal servant of the Dark Lord, and he has brought me the greatest gift of all." Aitor said.

Hermione noticed the small bundle Snape had been holding as he unwrapped the folds to reveal her son, sleeping peacefully in Snape's arms. She wanted to rip him from Snape's arms and comfort him, to kill Aitor and Snape and end this torture. If only she could get to her wand…

Draco struggled at the sight of Varius, but he was too weak to speak. Hermione couldn't even begin to imagine the torture he had endured the past week, beaten and tortured without food or water, bound by tight chains and left in darkness.

_So far away _

_I wish you were here _

_Before it's too late, this could all disappear _

_Before the doors close _

_And it comes to an end _

_With you by my side I will fight and defend _

_I'll fight and defend _

_Yeah, yeah _

"I suppose I should thank you for leaving him with the Weasleys. They weren't a challenge to kill, but it's something I've been wanting to do for such a long time…" Snape spat, looking directly into Hermione's eyes as he spoke.

"No!" Hermione shouted, no longer being able to hold back her tears. He had to be lying, Snape couldn't have murdered the Weasleys, he was in the Order! This had to be part of his double agent role. He told Aitor he'd killed the Weasleys, brought Varius to Draco and Hermione, and now he was going to help them escape, wasn't he? And where were Harry and Ron?

Varius gave a high-pitched squeal when Aitor took him into his arms and cradled him.

"You will make a fine heir, when you are old enough. Say goodbye to your birth parents, Varius," he said, raising the infant's hand and making a small wave, which only caused Varius to scream louder, "I'm going to be your father now!"

_Keep holding on _

_'Cause you know we'll make it through, we'll make it through _

_Just stay strong _

_'Cause you know I'm here for you, I'm here for you _

_There's nothing you could say _

_Nothing you could do _

_There's no other way when it comes to the truth _

_So keep holding on _

_'Cause you know we'll make it through, we'll make it through _

"Push forward!" Harry shouted to no one in particular, "you know what must be done!"

"AVADA KEDRAVA!" Remus shouted at a Death Eater that had just blasted Sirius with a cruciatus curse. Sirius rose from the floor, gripping his side, and breathed a "thanks" to Remus.

Harry knew that his friends had never killed anyone, and using an unforgivable curse on a person was hard enough, even if it was on a death eater. If Voldemort had taught him anything, it was that you had to mean your curses. Harry just hoped his friends could find the strength to survive through the night. Without warning, someone has lifted Harry and thrust him into a wall, so hard Harry thought he was going to loose consciousness. His vision began to blue with pain, and he heard that high shrill of a laugh he had always feared.

"Harry Potter," Voldemort said just above a whisper, "you've come to me at last."

"I'm here for Draco," Harry said, grinding his teeth in pain.

"Well, then you'll be happy to know Draco is having a happy little reunion with his wife and son two stories below us as we speak.

"Downstairs!" Seamus screamed to Jacob, who then fired his way to the staircase with a dozen other men.

"You've come for your mudblood friend, Harry Potter, and I'm disappointed in you. You honestly think you could defeat me with your ragtag Order?"

"I'll kill you myself, Voldemort. Call off your Death Eaters, and let us duel together, no seconds."

_Hear me when I say, when I say I believe _

_Nothing's gonna change, nothing's gonna change destiny _

_Whatever's meant to be will work out perfectly _

"Perhaps I should take the boy, Perseus." Snape suggested, looking rather displeased with the noises the infant was making.

"What? Oh, yes, very well Severus…" Aitor responded, handing the baby to him. Severus mumbled something and a cradle appeared next to him, where he placed Varius.

"Now, Draco, I'm going to let you watch me murder your wife, take your son, and leave you with nothing. Perhaps when you've been driven crazy enough to beg for death, I'll be kind enough to grant your final wish.

"Perseus," Snape said through pursed lips, "the mudblood has been a thorn in my side for much longer than she's been your problem. Please, let me have the pleasure…"

"Of course, Severus. After all, you've earned it."

"Any last words, Granger?" Snape asked, glaring intently into her eyes.

"No," Hermione replied, a lot more commonly than Aitor had expected.

"Perhaps I will choose them for you then," he said,

"_A muggle born and a pureblood,_

_Sworn enemies turned lovers,_

_Leaders of this great fight,_

_Will prevail when it all comes down_

_To that one, victorious night,_

_And redeem or condemn_

_All those who show their true colors". _

"AVADA KEDRAVA!" Snape bellowed, his voice strong. Hermione held her eyes shut tight, but could still make out a flash of green. She opened her eyes to invite death, and saw Perseus Aitor lifeless on the floor. Hermione gasped in shock as Snape knelt before Aitor and withdrew Hermione's wand from his pocket.

"Free him, and fulfill the prophecy," he said to her simply, as if instructing her to brew a potion.

Obediently, she freed Draco from his chains, and he fell from the chair. Hermione knelt before him and Draco pulled her into a deep kiss. Hermione and Draco had almost forgotten Snape was there, until the castle began to shake violently.

_Keep holding on _

_'Cause you know we'll make it through, we'll make it through _

_Just stay strong _

_'Cause you know I'm here for you, I'm here for you _

_There's nothing you could say _

_Nothing you could do _

_There's no other way when it comes to the truth _

_So keep holding on _

_'Cause you know we'll make it through, we'll make it through _

"Impossible!" Snape shouted.

"What now?" Hermione screamed.

"Potter couldn't have, not yet…"

"Are you saying he destroyed Voldemort?"

The castle shook so hard that large pieces of the ceiling were dropping around them, and Hermione moved quickly to rescue Varius from his cradle. Snape pushed Hermione and Draco from the room as soon as he heard a low rumble rising from the ground, which would soon be cracking open. They climbed the stairs as quickly as they could, reaching the landing where an intense battle was taking place. Hermione screamed as Draco pulled her back, narrowly missing a green spark.

"Harry!" Hermione screamed, making her way towards him and throwing her arms around him, "did you really…?"

"I didn't have a choice, now let's get out of here…"

Harry threw Malfoy a broom, and mounted Hermione and Varius on his own firebolt. Draco didn't argue. Harry had been the youngest seeker in a century for a reason. Hermione looked back at the Castle, which seemed to be sinking into the ground as it collapsed into a large pile of brick and stone.

_Keep holding on _

_Keep holding on _

Hermione sought comfort in one of the small tents that had been pitched at the rendezvous point that night. Seamus touched down by the fire hours later, the twenty-seventh refugee of the great battle. Others were already mourning those who hadn't returned yet, wondering if they'd ever see their friends again.

"Hermione," Draco said softly, "there is someone I'd like you to meet." Hermione rose from her bed of blankets and wrapped Varius up tight; she wasn't going to let him out of her sight for a long time.

"This is Jacob, my friend from the Academy. He helped save my life tonight."

"Thank you," Hermione said, hugging him tightly.

Color rushed to Jacob's cheeks quickly, "I just did what Draco would do for any of us," said Jacob.

"Draco, I never got to thank Snape, where do you think he is?"

"He never came back, Hermione. I don't think he feels he belongs here…"

Hermione sat on her knees as she held Varius' hands. She guided him as he made him first attempts at footsteps, and then tumbled down. His bottom lip quivered, but he didn't cry. Without wasting anymore time, he crawled toward Draco, who was eating an apple.

"Here you go, Varius," said Draco, handing him a small piece of cheese, which Varius took with both hands. Moments with his son are what made Draco dread returning to the office every Monday. The weekend meant picnics and walks on the estate, breakfast in bed and watching his son taking his first steps in growing up. He was already dangerously curious, stubborn, resilient, and absolutely gorgeous. He swelled with pride every time he pushed his sons blonde locks from his face and looked into his hazel eyes.

I† was hard to believe that just a year ago he was fighting for his life against Aitor, a man who had come close to taking away everything that mattered. His gaze drifted to the small graveyard beyond the oak trees. He couldn't make out the inscriptions from here, but he knew which grave was his mother's, and which were a tribute to those who had died in battle that night. He still remembered carving the inscription into Severus' tombstone:

_Living in disguise, _

_A true wizard on the inside,_

_Not afraid of what he had to do, _

_He was the bravest man I ever knew. _

So the prophecy has been fulfilled, a muggleborn and pureblood fell in love against all odds, produced a child whom they love, and has the power to restore order and balance back to the Wizarding World. Perseus Aitor and Lord Voldemort have been destroyed, and all can rejoice. So Hermione and Draco can live happily ever after with their son, right?

_Hear me when I say, when I say I believe _

_Nothing's gonna change, nothing's gonna change destiny _

_Whatever's meant to be will work out perfectly …_


End file.
